Reaching Older People With a Digital Fall Prevention Intervention in a Swedish Municipality Context-an Observational Study

Abstract

Background: There is robust evidence that falls in old age can be prevented by exercise programs that include balance training, functional exercises, and strength training. For the interventions to have a population health impact, outreach to the population of focus with suitable interventions is needed. While digital interventions are promising there is limited knowledge on the characteristics of who is reached. The aim of this study was to describe the recruitment process, estimate reach rate at the population level and to describe participants characteristics and representativeness in a digital fall prevention intervention study.

Methods: In a municipality-based observational study, reach of a digital fall prevention intervention was evaluated. The intervention included a digital exercise programme (Safe Step) and optional supportive strategies, complemented with a range of recruitment strategies to optimize reach. Recruitment during a period of 6 months was open to people 70 years or older who had experienced a fall or a decline in balance the past year. Reach was based on data from the baseline questionnaire including health and demographic characteristics of participants. Representativeness was estimated by comparing participants to a sample of older people from the Swedish National Public Health Survey.

Results: The recruitment rate was 4.7% (n = 173) in relation to the estimated population of focus (n = 3,706). Most participants signed up within the first month of the intervention (n = 131). The intervention attracted primarily women, older people with high education, individuals who used the internet or digital applications almost every day and those perceiving their balance as fair or poor. Safe step participants lived more commonly alone and had higher education and better walking ability in comparison to the Swedish National Public Health Survey.

Conclusions: With a range of recruitment strategies most participants were recruited to a digital fall intervention during the first month. The intervention attracted primarily highly educated women who frequently used the internet or smart technologies. In addition to digital fall prevention interventions, a higher diversity of intervention types (digital and non-digital) is more likely to reach a larger group of older people with different needs.

Clinical trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04161625 (Retrospectively registered), https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04161625.

Keywords: RE-AIM framework; accidental falls; aged; balance and strength exercise; digital health; mobile health; reach.

Figure 1

Timeline of recruitment strategies and total number of participants recruited. SCO = senior citizen organisation.