Abstract
Walking on complex surface conditions in outdoor environments is important for active aging. This study aimed at examining whether fall prevention exercise integrated with an outdoor multisurface terrain compared with indoor solid ground was more beneficial for older adults. Twenty-two older nursing home residents were randomly assigned to outdoor multisurface terrain (n = 11, 79.5 ± 2.1 years) or indoor solid ground (n = 11, 78.8 ± 5.2 years) groups. Training occurred five times per week (30 min) for 3 weeks. The following performance test outcomes were measured: 10 m walk test (10 mWT), multisurface terrain walk test (MTWT), 2 min walk test (2 MWT), timed up and go test (TUGT), single-leg standing test with eyes open (SLSTEO), single-leg standing test with eyes closed (SLSTEC), and closed cycles test (CCT). Compared with baseline, the outdoor multisurface terrain training significantly improved performance in all tests (p < 0.01). The improvements of the outdoor multisurface terrain group after intervention were significantly higher than those of the indoor solid group in the 10 mWT (p = 0.049), MTWT (p = 0.02), and 2 MWT (p = 0.000). Exercise combined with outdoor multisurface terrain training may be an efficacious approach and a feasible environmental intervention for fall prevention in older adults.
Highlights
With the aging of populations worldwide, falls in older adults are becoming a growing public health concern [1]
The purpose of this paper was to investigate the effects of a 3-week program of either outdoor multisurface terrain or indoor solid ground fall prevention exercises on the walking ability and balance ability in older adults
Participants who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were randomized into two groups (outdoor multisurface terrain group (OMTG) or indoor solid ground group (ISGG)) using the random number table method
Summary
With the aging of populations worldwide, falls in older adults are becoming a growing public health concern [1]. Irregular, and uneven surfaces in outdoor environments are one of the main factors contributing to falls [3,4]. The unpredictable surface [5,6] conditions and transitions between various surfaces render walking challenging [7], for older adults who experience declines in motor, sensory, and cognitive functions with age, as well as reduced postural control, which further increases the risk of falls while walking on different surface conditions [8]. The complexity of the walking environment adds to the demand for attention resources and cognitive burden [12]. It has been suggested that multisurface terrain, which is composed of variable surface characteristics, is a great challenge for older adults
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