24-Months Cluster-Randomized Intervention Trial of a Targeted Fall Prevention Program in a Primary Care Setting
Hentschke C, Halle M, Geilhof B, Landendoerfer P, Blank W, Sieber C, Siegrist M, Freiberger E (2021)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2021
Journal
DOI: 10.1007/s11606-021-06944-w
Abstract
Background Falls and fall-related injuries are common in community-dwelling older persons. Longitudinal data on effective fall prevention programs are rare. Objective Therefore, we evaluated a 4-months multi-component exercise fall prevention program in a primary care setting on long-term effects over 24 months on falls and concomitant injuries in older community-dwelling persons with high risk of falling. Design and Setting In the Prevention of Falls (PreFalls) study, forty general practitioners in Germany were cluster-randomized (1:1) into an intervention group (IG) or control group (CG). Three hundred seventy-eight independently living people with high risk of falling (78.1 +/- 5.9 years, 75% women) were assigned to IG (n = 222) or CG (n = 156). Intervention and Measurements Patients in IG took part in a 4-months multi-component exercise program comprising strength and balance exercises (28 sessions); patients in CG received no intervention. Primary outcome measure was number of falls over 24 months, analyzed by a patient-level, linear mixed Poisson model. Secondary endpoints were number of fall-related injuries, changes in physical function, fear of falling, and mortality. Results After 24 months, the IG demonstrated significantly fewer falls (IRR = 0.63, p = 0.021), injurious falls (IRR = 0.69, p = 0.034), and less fear of falling (p = 0.005). The mortality rate was 5.0% in IG and 10.3% in CG (HR = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.24 to 1.12; p = 0.094). Conclusions In older community-dwelling persons with high risk of falling, a short-term multi-component exercise intervention reduced falls and injurious falls, as well as fear of falling over 24 months.
Authors with CRIS profile
Cornel Sieber
Lehrstuhl für Innere Medizin (Geriatrie)
Ellen Freiberger
Lehrstuhl für Innere Medizin (Geriatrie)
Involved external institutions
Germany (DE)How to cite
APA:
Hentschke, C., Halle, M., Geilhof, B., Landendoerfer, P., Blank, W., Sieber, C.,... Freiberger, E. (2021). 24-Months Cluster-Randomized Intervention Trial of a Targeted Fall Prevention Program in a Primary Care Setting. Journal of General Internal Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-021-06944-w
MLA:
Hentschke, Christian, et al. "24-Months Cluster-Randomized Intervention Trial of a Targeted Fall Prevention Program in a Primary Care Setting." Journal of General Internal Medicine (2021).
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