Impact of a Multifaceted Community-Based Falls Prevention Program on Balance-Related Psychologic Factors

Abstract

Filiatrault J, Gauvin L, Richard L, Robitaille Y, Laforest S, Fournier M, Corriveau H. Impact of a multifaceted community-based falls prevention program on balance-related psychologic factors.

Objective

To assess the impact of a multifaceted falls prevention program including exercise and educational components on perceived balance and balance confidence among community-dwelling seniors.

Design

Quasi-experimental design.

Setting

Community-based organizations.

Participants

Two hundred community-dwelling adults aged 60 years and over recruited by community-based organizations.

Intervention

A 12-week multifaceted falls prevention program including 3 components (a 1-hour group exercise class held twice a week, a 30-minute home exercise module to be performed at least once a week, a 30-minute educational class held once a week).

Main Outcome Measures

Perceived balance and balance confidence.

Results

Multivariate analysis showed that the program was successful in increasing perceived balance in experimental participants. However, balance confidence was not improved by program participation.

Conclusions

A multifaceted community-based falls prevention program that was successful in improving balance performance among community-dwelling seniors also had a positive impact on perceived balance. However, the program did not improve participants' balance confidence. These results suggest that balance confidence has determinants other than balance and that new components and/or modifications of existing components of the program are required to achieve maximal benefits for seniors in terms of physical and psychologic outcomes.

Key Words: Accident prevention, Accidental falls, Aged, Balance, Psychology, Rehabilitation

List of Abbreviations: ABC, Activities-specific Balance Confidence, ABC-S, ABC–Simplified, OLS, one-leg stance, QOL, quality of life

a Institut national de santé publique du Québec, Montreal, QC, Canada

b École de réadaptation, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada

c Département de médecine sociale et préventive, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada

d Faculté des sciences infirmières, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada

e Département de kinésiologie, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada

f Groupe de recherche interdisciplinaire en santé, Montreal, QC, Canada

g Centre de recherche Léa-Roback sur les inégalités sociales de santé de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada

h Centre de recherche de l'Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada

i Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

j Centre de santé et de services sociaux Cavendish-Centre affilié universitaire en gérontologie sociale, Montreal, QC, Canada

k Direction de santé publique de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada

l Département de réadaptation, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada

m Centre de recherche sur le vieillissement, Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada

Reprint requests to Johanne Filiatrault, OT, PhD, Université de Montréal, Faculté de médecine, École de réadaptation, CP 6128, succursale Centre-ville, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada

Supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (grant no. MOP 53123); the Regional Health and Social Services Boards of Montreal, Laval, and Montérégie, QC; the Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec (doctoral fellowship); the Ordre des ergothérapeutes du Québec (doctoral fellowship); and the Faculté des études supérieures, Université de Montréal (doctoral fellowship).

No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit on the authors or on any organization with which the authors are associated.

PII: S0003-9993(08)00463-2

doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2008.01.031

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