Abstract
This study analyses the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a group-based multicomponent physical exercise programme aimed at reducing the risk of falling and frailty in community-dwelling older adults. This is a pretest–posttest non-equivalent control group design, with an intervention group and a comparison group. Participants were evaluated at baseline and after 9 months. The effectiveness analyses showed significant reduction in the risk of falling (−45.5%; p = 0.000) and frailty (−31%; p = 0.000) after the intervention for the participants in the physical exercise programme. Moreover, these participants showed an improvement in limitations in activities of daily living, self-care ability and the use of health resources, physical performance, balance and body mass index. The cost-effectiveness analyses showed that the intervention was cost-saving and more effective than usual care scenario. A novel group-based multicomponent physical exercise programme showed to be more effective and cost-effective than usual care for older adults suffering from risk of falling and frailty.
Highlights
Falls and frailty are crucial health issues affecting older adults
A secondary objective was to estimate the cost-effectiveness of the intervention in order to know if our physical exercise programme was potentially cost-saving in comparison to usual care for older people who were frail or at risk of falling
Intervention group participants were slightly younger than comparison group participants and the percentage of women was higher in the intervention group (81.8% vs. 64.7%). Among those who dropped out, no statistically significant differences were found in risk of falling and frailty neither for the intervention group nor for the comparison group
Summary
Falls and frailty are crucial health issues affecting older adults. Both share many significant domains and represent a major burden on the healthcare system. The high prevalence and the consequences on health of the risk of falling and frailty among older people highlight the need to develop and to implement strategies that effectively address these conditions In this regard, the regular practise of physical activity has proved to prevent and reduce frailty and the risk of falling, even the injuries resulting from falls [15,16]. The purpose was to analyse the effect of a group-based multicomponent physical exercise programme on the reduction of the risk of falling and frailty in community-dwelling older adults. This programme offers a modified format of OTAGO programme including evidence-based improvements. A secondary objective was to estimate the cost-effectiveness of the intervention in order to know if our physical exercise programme was potentially cost-saving in comparison to usual care for older people who were frail or at risk of falling
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