TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2014//
TI  - Long-term participation in peer-led fall prevention classes predicts lower fall incidence
JO  - Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation
A1  - Wurzer, Birgit
A1  - Waters, Debra Lynn
A1  - Hale, Leigh Anne
A1  - Leon De La Barra, Sophia
SP  - 1060
EP  - 1066
VL  - 95
IS  - 6
N2  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between length of participation in Steady As You Go (SAYGO) peer-led fall prevention exercise classes for older adults and 12-month fall incidence. DESIGN: Twelve-month prospective cohort study SETTING: Community settings in the Otago region of New Zealand PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred seven older adults (65+ years) actively participating in SAYGO classes INTERVENTION: Peer-led fall prevention exercise classes MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Twelve month prospective fall incidence data was collected by monthly calendars. Falls in the previous year and number of years of SAYGO participation were obtained by baseline questionnaire. Class attendance was monitored weekly by class attendance records. RESULTS: Two hundred and seven participants were recruited (mean age 77.7 SD 6.6 years, 189 females, 18 males). Mean SAYGO participation was 4.3 years (SD 2.5, range 1-10). Average class attendance was 69%. Crude fall rate was 0.75 per person year. Fall incidence at 12 and 24 months were highly correlated (r=.897, p<0.001). Longer SAYGO participation (≥3 years) resulted in lower 12-month fall incidence (IRR 0.90, 95%CI: 0.82 to 0.99, p=0.03) compared to shorter duration participation (1-2 years). CONCLUSION: SAYGO appears to be an effective fall prevention intervention with high attendance and lower fall incidence with long-term participation. Prospective, controlled studies on long-term participation in peer-led fall prevention exercise programmes are needed to confirm and extend these findings.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0003-9993
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2014.01.018
ID  - ref1
ER  -