Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2015 Oct 22;5(10):e009173.
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2015-009173.

Evaluating the effectiveness of a home-based exercise programme delivered through a tablet computer for preventing falls in older community-dwelling people over 2 years: study protocol for the Standing Tall randomised controlled trial

K Delbaere  1 , T Valenzuela  1 , A Woodbury  1 , T Davies  1 , J Yeong  1 , D Steffens  1 , L Miles  1 , L Pickett  1 , G A R Zijlstra  2 , L Clemson  3 , J C T Close  4 , K Howard  5 , S R Lord  1
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Evaluating the effectiveness of a home-based exercise programme delivered through a tablet computer for preventing falls in older community-dwelling people over 2 years: study protocol for the Standing Tall randomised controlled trial

K Delbaere et al. BMJ Open. .

Abstract

Introduction: In order to prevent falls, older people should exercise for at least 2 h per week for 6 months, with a strong focus on balance exercises. This article describes the design of a randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a home-based exercise programme delivered through a tablet computer to prevent falls in older people.

Methods and analysis: Participants aged 70 years or older, living in the community in Sydney will be recruited and randomly allocated to an intervention or control group. The intervention consists of a tailored, home-based balance training delivered through a tablet computer. Intervention participants will be asked to complete 2 h of exercises per week for 2 years. Both groups will receive an education programme focused on health-related information relevant to older adults, delivered through the tablet computer via weekly fact sheets. Primary outcome measures include number of fallers and falls rate recorded in weekly fall diaries at 12 months. A sample size of 500 will be necessary to see an effect on falls rate. Secondary outcome measures include concern about falling, depressive symptoms, health-related quality of life and physical activity levels (in all 500 participants); and physiological fall risk, balance, functional mobility, gait, stepping and cognitive performance (in a subsample of 200 participants). Adherence, acceptability, usability and enjoyment will be recorded in intervention group participants over 2 years. Data will be analysed using the intention-to-treat principle. Secondary analyses are planned in people with greater adherence. Economic analyses will be assessed from a health and community care provider perspective.

Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval was obtained from UNSW Ethics Committee in December 2014 (ref number HC#14/266). Outcomes will be disseminated through publication in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at international conferences.

Trial registration number: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN)12615000138583.

Keywords: GERIATRIC MEDICINE; PREVENTIVE MEDICINE; PUBLIC HEALTH; QUALITATIVE RESEARCH; REHABILITATION MEDICINE.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Standing Tall set-up with computer stand (A), Standing Tall exercise equipment: exercise mat, foam cushion, stepping box and tablet computer with Standing Tall application (B).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Study design.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Gillespie L, Robertson M, Gillespie W et al. . Interventions for preventing falls in older people living in the community. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2012;(2):CD007146 10.1002/14651858.CD007146.pub3 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sherrington C, Whitney JC, Lord SR et al. . Effective exercise for the prevention of falls: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Am Geriatr Soc 2008;56:2234–43. 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2008.02014.x - DOI - PubMed
    1. Campbell AJ, Robertson MC, Gardner MM et al. . Falls prevention over 2 years: a randomized controlled trial in women 80 years and older. Age Ageing 1999;28:513–18. 10.1093/ageing/28.6.513 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Simek EM, McPhate L, Haines TP. Adherence to and efficacy of home exercise programs to prevent falls: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the impact of exercise program characteristics. Prev Med 2012;55:262–75. 10.1016/j.ypmed.2012.07.007 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Yardley L, Donovan-Hall M, Francis K et al. . Older people's views of advice about falls prevention: a qualitative study. Health Educ Res 2006;21:508–17. 10.1093/her/cyh077 - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources