131 community-dwelling older adults were randomised into the trial. The participants had a mean age of 71 years and a quarter of them had fallen in the past year.
At the start of the trial, all participants nominated 2 goals they had related to their mobility. Examples of mobility-related goals were: “Walk for 1hr, 2 times/ week”; “Improve strength by attending exercise class, once a week, “Improve balance by attending Tai Chi class 1 time/ week”.
Half of the participants received the experimental intervention, which combined a physiotherapist visit, fortnightly telephone-based health coaching, a pedometer, tailored fall prevention advice, and a fall prevention brochure. The control group received the fall prevention brochure only.
Those included in the experimental group were significantly more likely to achieve their nominated mobility goals at 6 months compared with controls.
This effect did not persist when it was re-tested a year after the intervention period ended. Nevertheless, the intervention could be used to promote greater mobility in older people living in the community.
> From: Oliveira et al., J Physiother 65 (2019) 16-22 (Epub ahead of print). All rights reserved to the Australian Physiotherapy Association. Click here for the online summary.
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