Since falls are particularly common and severe among older adults, the aging population increases the number of people at risk. As such, falls represent a major public health issue. That is why Santé publique France conducts epidemiological surveillance of falls—particularly among older adults—to identify profiles of people who fall, study risk factors, and implement targeted prevention plans.

Epidemiological surveillance of fall victims

Between January and November 2018, the ChuPADom survey—conducted in partnership with Attitude Prévention, mutual insurance companies, and the Fédération Nationale de la Mutualité Française—allowed Santé publique France to include nearly 1,500 patients across 7 participating hospitals. The objective of this survey was to identify the profiles of fall victims and study risk factors, followed by a 1-year follow-up to identify sequelae based on the initial severity and the fall victim’s profile.

It collected the following data:

• The clinical presentation upon arrival at the emergency department: injuries and affected body parts, severity, treatment, and outcome

• Characteristics of the fall victim: sociodemographic characteristics, measures of social isolation, lifestyle habits

• Circumstances of the accidental fall: detailed description

• Behavior: risk-taking, perception of risk, fear of falling, sedentary lifestyle

• Housing characteristics: type of dwelling, number of floors, number of rooms, sanitary facilities

• Data collection 1 year after the fall regarding health status, physical and psychological sequelae, and quality of life

The results of the first phase of this study (hospitalization) were published in 2020. The second phase (sequelae at 1 year) will be published in 2026.

As part of the Plan to Prevent Falls Among Older Adults (PAPA), launched in 2022 by the Ministry of Solidarity and led by the Directorate General for Social Cohesion, Santé publique France has established an epidemiological surveillance system for falls among people aged 65 and older, in collaboration with the Center for Epidemiology on Medical Causes of Death (CépiDc) and the Technical Agency for Hospitalization Information (ATIH), based on the free-text medical causes listed on death certificates and medical-administrative data from the National Health Data System (SNDS).

Trends in deaths and hospitalizations related to falls, recorded between 2015 and 2024 in France among people aged 65 and older, as well as regional disparities, were published in 2026.

Santé publique France devoted a chapter of its 2024 Health Barometer to accidents of daily life, particularly falls, in order to quantify and describe, among the population aged 18–79, the demographic characteristics and socioeconomic status of individuals who had experienced falls. The results were published in 2025.

Communication with Older Adults to Raise Awareness of Fall Risks

To help older adults take preventive measures to reduce the risk of falls, Santé publique France, in partnership with the inter-fund pension funds, has created a website that also addresses the issue of fall prevention.

Learn more 

• http://www.pourbienvieillir.fr/conseils-au-quotidien-pour-prevenir-les-chutes