Digital Fall Prevention Programmes Improve posture and balance among older people

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego have revealed promising results from a study evaluating the university’s “powerful foundation” program, a digitally delivered fall prevention initiative for seniors. Findings recently published in JMIR-aged highlight the effectiveness of the program in improving posture, balance and strength. This is an important factor in reducing the risk of falls.

This study illustrates the potential for an accessible online exercise program to significantly improve physical functioning in older adults. Online delivery of exercise interventions offers some exciting and engaging prospects. Not only can the platform eliminate barriers associated with transportation difficulties and concerns about participation in traditional gym environments, it can also bring the most qualified professionals to the most needy individuals and safely do so. ”

Associate Clinical Professor at Ryan Moran, Maryland, MPH, UC San Diego School of Medicine

Falls are the main cause of accidental deaths and mobility-related disorders in older people, with one in four people over the age of 65 falling each year. These risks are exacerbated in rural areas where access to traditional athletic facilities is limited. The Strong Foundations programme addresses these challenges by providing a secure, structured exercise regimen that is accessible from participants’ homes.

One week (60 minutes), 12-week online program combines posture alignment, balance exercises and strength training. One of the program’s novel features is the provision of semi-individual instruction in real time within a small group setting. Semi-personalized instructions are to pay attention to individuals within a group course designed to modify their exercise form.

Using a quasi-experimental design, this study included 92 participants aged 60 and older, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were stratified at stratified risk levels using an elderly accident, death and injury (steady) questionnaire. A total of 55 low-risk and 37 moderate-risk participants were recruited. Both low-risk and medium-risk groups showed improved posture (up to 36% for measurements such as wall distance to wall distance – measurements used to screen for excessive outward curvature of the spine), physical fitness (as shown on the chair stand – sitting on the chair then standing up and standing up), and other metrics were shown. In particular, older adults at moderate fall risk experienced the greatest benefits, particularly in posture and physical fitness.

“Postance alone improvement is particularly noteworthy given the strong correlation between autumn risk and overall mobility,” Moran added.

David Wing, MS, Senior Clinical Research Supervisors at Herbert Welheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Sciences highlighted the broader implications of the findings.

Researchers suggest that future research will explore the possibility of deploying this intervention in groups with low overall socioeconomic status and far from the location of intervention deployment. Furthermore, developing these materials in other languages ​​in a culturally appropriate way can expand our reach to other groups that benefit from the opportunity to receive autumn risk training at home.