Effects of fall prevention program for older adults dwelling in community in Chanthaburi province: a randomized controlled trial ^†

Abstract Objective To study the effects of fall prevention program for the community-dwelling older adults. Falling is a significant risk factor for older adults, impacting their physical and mental health and causing social and economic burdens on themselves and their families. Methods A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 60 older adults aged 60 years and older attending the elderly schools in Chanthaburi province, Thailand. Two elderly schools were randomly selected from 24 schools using a lottery method, then were randomly assigned to either the intervention or the control trial setting. Eligible older adults from each elderly school were randomly selected to participate in the study using a computer generator. There were 30 participants in each group. The experimental group engaged in fall prevention program training for 2 h per session per week for 6 weeks. The control group attended usual health-related activities of the school. Outcome measures before and after the intervention included: questionnaires used to assess knowledge and behaviors of fall prevention, the Fear of Falling test (Short FES-I), the Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT), and the Thai Falls Risk Assessment Test (Thai-FRAT). Results The independent t -tests revealed significant differences between the experimental group and the control group. Post-intervention showed that the experimental group demonstrated better knowledge ( t = 5.94, P < 0.001) and behaviors related to the fall prevention program knowledge ( t = 4.63, P < 0.001), reduced fear of falling ( t = –4.72, P < 0.001), improved walking and balance ( t = –4.85, P < 0.001) and lowered risk of falling ( t = –4.02, P < 0.001) than the control group. Conclusions The fall prevention program could benefit the older adults dwellings in the community by increasing their knowledge and fall prevention behaviors, reducing their fear of falling and fall risk and improving their walking and balance, which would enhance their quality of life.