ABSTRACT Objective: to evaluate the Nursing Diagnosis (ND) Risk for Falls in elderly subjects in primary health care in the Federal District. Methods: a descriptive, quantitative, cross-sectional study conducted in two basic health units. Data collection included blood collection, nursing consultation and physical evaluation of 156 elderly subjects with chronic diseases. Results: the most prevalent intrinsic risk factors of NANDA-I were visual impairment (73.7%), impaired mobility (70.5%) and history of falls (69.9%); and extrinsic factors were the use of insufficient material in the bathroom (60.3%) and loose carpets (58.3%). The intrinsic factors that increased the risk for falls were the use of assistive devices (OR 3.50; p=0.030), impaired walking (OR 2.84; p=0.019) and cognitive impairment (OR 1.26; p=0.019); and the extrinsic factor was the use of loose rugs (OR 1.59; p=0.041). Conclusion: this ND has proved to be a valuable instrument for the identification of risk factors for falls in elderly subjects in primary care.