Abstract
BackgroundFalls and fall-related injuries are a serious public health issue. Exercise programs can effectively reduce fall risk in older people. The iStoppFalls project developed an Information and Communication Technology-based system to deliver an unsupervised exercise program in older people’s homes. The primary aims of the iStoppFalls randomized controlled trial were to assess the feasibility (exercise adherence, acceptability and safety) of the intervention program and its effectiveness on common fall risk factors.MethodsA total of 153 community-dwelling people aged 65+ years took part in this international, multicentre, randomized controlled trial. Intervention group participants conducted the exercise program for 16 weeks, with a recommended duration of 120 min/week for balance exergames and 60 min/week for strength exercises. All intervention and control participants received educational material including advice on a healthy lifestyle and fall prevention. Assessments included physical and cognitive tests, and questionnaires for health, fear of falling, number of falls, quality of life and psychosocial outcomes.ResultsThe median total exercise duration was 11.7 h (IQR = 22.0) over the 16-week intervention period. There were no adverse events. Physiological fall risk (Physiological Profile Assessment, PPA) reduced significantly more in the intervention group compared to the control group (F1,127 = 4.54, p = 0.035). There was a significant three-way interaction for fall risk assessed by the PPA between the high-adherence (>90 min/week; n = 18, 25.4 %), low-adherence (<90 min/week; n = 53, 74.6 %) and control group (F2,125 = 3.12, n = 75, p = 0.044). Post hoc analysis revealed a significantly larger effect in favour of the high-adherence group compared to the control group for fall risk (p = 0.031), postural sway (p = 0.046), stepping reaction time (p = 0.041), executive functioning (p = 0.044), and quality of life (p for trend = 0.052).ConclusionsThe iStoppFalls exercise program reduced physiological fall risk in the study sample. Additional subgroup analyses revealed that intervention participants with better adherence also improved in postural sway, stepping reaction, and executive function.Trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry Trial ID: ACTRN12614000096651International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number: ISRCTN15932647
Highlights
Falls and fall-related injuries are a serious public health issue
One hundred fifty three older people were included in this study (n = 78 intervention group, n = 75 control group); 136 participants were reassessed after 16 weeks (n = 28 exercise dropouts, of which n = 11 agreed to be reassessed so that their data could be included in the ITT analyses)
Fall risk assessed by the PPA was significantly reduced in the intervention group compared with the control group (F1,127 = 4.54, p = 0.035)
Summary
Falls and fall-related injuries are a serious public health issue. Exercise programs can effectively reduce fall risk in older people. The iStoppFalls project developed an Information and Communication Technology-based system to deliver an unsupervised exercise program in older people’s homes. In order to prevent falls in older people, it is important to implement effective preventative programs on a broad scale It is well known from the literature that exercise interventions can reduce the risk of falling and rate of falls provided they are continued over a longer period of at least six months [2, 4]. A recent systematic review provided preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of such innovative exercise modes on physical and cognitive factors associated with fall risk in older people [8]. There is a lack of evidence on how fall prevention can be successfully implemented into the community, especially in older people who would like to exercise at home on their own [4]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
