Falls can be defined as the accidental displacement of the individual out of their balance axis towards the ground and represent a major problem for the geriatric population. They are naturally caused by the interaction of experimental factors with the decline in the individual's health and result in several consequences, such as: physical and social vulnerability, loss of independence and quality of life.

To assess the risk of falls, physical capacity and functional independence of elderly people treated at the geriatrics outpatient clinic of a university hospital in the city of Belém do Pará.

This is an exploratory descriptive cross-sectional study with quantitative characteristics, which was carried out at the Geriatrics Outpatient Clinic of the João de Barros Barreto University Hospital (HUJBB). The sample was selected voluntarily and included patients of both sexes aged between 60 and 80 years, who were in the waiting room of the HUJBB geriatrics outpatient sector and who agreed to participate in the research by signing the informed consent form. The instruments were applied: Mini Mental State Examination, Katz, Lawton & Brody Questionnaires and Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), which is a valid instrument for assessing the risk of falls in the elderly. Data were tabulated in a spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel 2013. Descriptive statistics were performed to detail the sample. To test hypotheses, the Fischer exact test was used and for correlations, Spearman's correlation was used.

Ninety-two patients were included in the survey, with a mean age of 72.92 (±7.42). There was a strong association between risk of falls and cognitive response (p= <0.001) and risk of falls and instrumental capacity for daily living (p= <0.001). The frequency of smoking (OR: 1.58) and alcoholism (OR: 2.17) show an association with the occurrence of data falls by the SPPB (p<0.001). There was a modulated relationship between the history of falls and the SPPB results (r= 0.571), modulated in a modulated way between the Lawton & Brody and SPPB results (r=0.571), strongly modulated between physical activity with SPPB (r= 0.809) and very strong between the MMSE and SPPB results (r= 0.978).

elderly who are fallers had lower scores on the SPPB, and that they had a history of risk factors such as a history of alcoholism, smoking, low levels of physical activity and tended to have lower scores on the MMSE, Katz and L&B Index.

the work implies the need to promote the identification and approach of intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors related to the occurrence of falls.