Falling is an important health problem in the elderly. One in 3 persons 65 years and over fall at least once a year and about 12% of these falls require medical treatment.

The Dutch Nijmegen Falls Prevention Program was 'proven effective' in reducing the number of falls by half. The effectiveness of the program is determined in 2 randomized controlled trials.

Recently, the program received international attention in response to a published article in The New York Times.