Introduction The prevalence of falls in elderly is 28%–35% in Turkey. Falls in elderly cause several injuries and decrease in quality of life. The preventable nature of falls in elderly increases the importance of interventions targeting awareness about falls and quality of life of elderly. This study aims to determine the awareness about falls, the prevalence of falls and relations with quality of life of the elderly living in Sinop, Turkey.

Methods This cross-sectional study is conducted in Sinop, the province that has the highest elderly population ratio (18.1%) in Turkey. The sample size was determined as 2060 and 2269 were participated. Quality of life and awareness about falls were evaluated by EQ5D and ‘The Falls Behavioral Scale for the Older Person’ (Fab scale) respectively. Both scales were found to be valid and reliable for Turkish population. Pearson’s Correlation and Mann-Whitney-U tests were used for analyzing the data.

Results The mean age was 73.4 (SD ±6.7, min: 69, max: 99). Of the participants, 36.4% stated that they had fallen at least one times after the age of 65% and 43.8% of them had injuries because of that fall. Participants who experienced falls had lower EQ5D index scores (p<0.001) and higher mean total Fab scores (p<0.001) compared to ones have never fallen. The total Fab scores were significantly correlated with EQ5D index scores (r=1, p<0.001).

Conclusion Elderly with lower quality of life experiences more falls. Taking measures targeting increase in quality of life should prevent falls. Given the reality of aging populations, prioritizing the health politics that aim enhancing awareness about falls and increasing quality of life in elderly is important.