Older Adults With a History of Falls
Conditions
Keywords
Falls, Exercise, Randomised Trial, Step Training, Reaction
Brief summary
To examine the immediate and sustained effect of a 4-week combined volitional and reactive step training on fall risks in community-dwelling older fallers.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALExercise
For the combined step training group, the participants will receive training on both volitional and reactive stepping. The training will last for 1 hours per session, 2 session per week for 4 weeks.
BEHAVIORALActive Control
An active control group will be used to minimise the placebo and history effect. The group will also receive a 4-week programme with the frequency and duration of the training and the instructor-to-participant ratio that match the combined step training group. During training, they will perform exercises not specific to reducing fall risk.
Sponsors
Chinese University of Hong Kong
Neuroscience Research Australia
The University of New South Wales
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
65 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Community-dwelling * Able to walk for 1 minute under supervision without walking aids * Have a history of falling in the past year
Exclusion criteria
* Cognitive impairment (i.e., scores below the age and education-specific cut-off of 7th percentile in the 5-minute Montreal cognitive assessment) * Blindness * Neurological conditions (e.g., stroke, Parkinson's disease) * Other serious illnesses that preclude participation in exercise training
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Choice Stepping Reaction Times | (i) baseline, (ii) immediately post-intervention, (iii) 3-months post-intervention and (iv) 6-months post-intervention | To assess volitional stepping performance |
| Spring Scale Test | (i) baseline, (ii) immediately post-intervention, (iii) 3-months post-intervention and (iv) 6-months post-intervention | To assess reactive stepping performance |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Falls Efficacy Scale - International | (i) baseline, (ii) immediately post-intervention, (iii) 3-months post-intervention and (iv) 6-months post-intervention | — |
| Trail-Making Test | (i) baseline, (ii) immediately post-intervention, (iii) 3-months post-intervention and (iv) 6-months post-intervention | — |
| Mini Balance Evaluation System Test | (i) baseline, (ii) immediately post-intervention, (iii) 3-months post-intervention and (iv) 6-months post-intervention | — |
| Prospective Falls | From start to 12 months after the intervention ends | Fall incidence and details on fall will be recorded using a fall diary and monthly follow-up. |
| Adverse Events | From start to six months after the end of training | Adverse events happened during the intervention will be recorded descriptively. |
| Programme Adherence | From start to six months after the end of training | The attendance of the exercise class will be recorded. |
| Motor Control Test | (i) baseline, (ii) immediately post-intervention, (iii) 3-months post-intervention and (iv) 6-months post-intervention | — |
Countries
Hong Kong
Contacts
Primary ContactFreddy Man Hin LAM, PhD
Outcome results
None listed