Concerns About Falling, Fall Prevention, Falls
Conditions
Keywords
concerns of falling, falls, older adults, clinical trial, educational intervention, active methods of teaching
Brief summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if an active educational intervention (using interactive and active methods of teaching) works better than the traditional lecture teaching to reduce concerns of falling, falls and other health problems among older adults. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does having more dynamic interactive educational interventions can performed better than using just traditional lectures? Are these interventions able to reduce concerns of falling, fears and other outcomes among older adults? Participants will: Receive one of the interventions (active/interactive or traditional lecture) Answer self-report questionnaires related to concerns of falls and falls Perform some fall-related tests Be followed for 3 and 6 months
Detailed description
Previous studies and meta-analyses have shown that educational strategies for fall prevention are still underexplored and have produced inconsistent results, possibly due to the limited use of appropriate educational methods and approaches that effectively change older adults' perceptions and behaviors related to falls. This study aims to investigate the effects of a six-week educational intervention using active learning methodologies on concern about falling in community-dwelling older adults compared to a control group. Our secondary objectives are to evaluate whether the educational intervention reduces fall events and near-fall events and improves knowledge and awareness related to fall prevention in older adults. This is a randomized, parallel-group trial in which participants will be allocated to either an interactive educational intervention group (active methods of teaching) or a control group receiving the same educational content through printed materials and a lecture on general healthy aging. Follow-up assessments will be conducted immediately after the intervention period (6 weeks), and at 3 months and 6 months after the intervention. Falls and near-falls will be monitored throughout the follow-up period using follow-up contacts.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALInteractive Fall Prevention Education
Arm/Group Experimental: Interactive Fall Prevention Education Arm Description: The intervention will be carried out in groups of 12 to 17 participants. There will be six educational sessions (delivered once a week) focusing on the following fall prevention topics: (1) impact of falls and aging-related changes; (2) identification of fall risk and protective factors; (3) home safety and environmental modifications; (4) fall prevention strategies; (5) concern about falling and what to do after a fall; and (6) adoption of safe behaviors and fall prevention strategies. At each session, participants will receive printed educational materials summarizing the main topics discussed (these materials are the same offered to the control group). The intervention will use interactive and active teaching methods, including group discussions, games, simulated scenarios, problem-solving activities, and practical examples. The educational content will be based on fall prevention guidelines from the Cent
BEHAVIORALPrinted Educational Materials
The control group will receive a lecture on general healthy aging (not related to falls) and printed educational leaflets covering the same six fall prevention topics addressed in the interactive educational intervention, including fall risk factors, home safety, prevention strategies, and what to do after a fall. The educational content will be delivered only through printed materials and not through interactive sessions.
Sponsors
Federal University of Juiz de Fora
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE (Investigator)
Intervention model description
This is a randomized, parallel-group trial in which participants will be allocated to either an interactive educational intervention group (active methods of teaching) or a control group receiving the same educational content through printed materials and a lecture on general healthy aging. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline and follow-up timepoints.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
60 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Participants with 60 years old or older * At least one fall in the previous 12 months. * A minimum score for the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) according to educational level: Illiterate: 13, 1 to 7 years of schooling: 18, More than 7 years of schooling: 26
Exclusion criteria
* MMSE score below the minimum cutoff for educational level. * Current participation in regular physical therapy treatment. * Presence of severe neurological, motor, and/or visual impairments that may interfere with participation in the study. * Refusal or inability to provide informed consent
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Concern about Falling | Baseline, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months | Concern about falling will be measured using the Falls Efficacy Scale International (FES-I). Scores range from 16 to 64, with higher scores indicating greater concern about falling |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Proportion of participants with at least one fall | Baseline, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months | The proportion of participants who experience at least one fall during the follow-up period will be recorded using follow-up contacts |
| Number of Falls | Baseline, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months | The total number of falls will be recorded during the follow-up period using follow-up contacts. |
| Knowledge about fall prevention | Baseline, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months | Change in knowledge about fall prevention will be assessed using the Falls Risk Awareness Questionnaire (FRAQ-Brazil), which evaluates knowledge about fall risk factors, prevention strategies, and situations associated with fall risk. Higher scores indicate greater knowledge related to fall prevention. |
| Fall risk awareness | Baseline, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months | Change in fall risk awareness will be assessed using the Falls Risk Awareness Questionnaire (FRAQ-Brazil), which evaluates participants' awareness and perception of fall risk factors and situations associated with falls |
| Number of near-falls | Baseline, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months | The total number of near-falls during follow-up will be recorded using follow-up contacts. A near-fall will be defined as an event in which the participant slips, trips, or loses balance but is able to prevent coming to rest on the ground, floor, or lower level. |
| Proportion of participants with at least one near-fall | Baseline, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months | The proportion of participants who experience at least one near-fall during follow-up will be recorded using follow-up contacts. A near-fall will be defined as an event in which the participant slips, trips, or loses balance but is able to prevent coming to rest on the ground, floor, or lower level. |
Countries
Brazil
Contacts
CONTACTJordania L Almas, PT, MSc
CONTACTAlessandra LG Lucchetti, MD, PhD
Outcome results
None listed