Participation in community exercise classes: barriers to access

Falls prevention is an important part of national health policy and while there are many causes of falls, there is increasing evidence that advocates the use of targeted balance and stability exercise training to address the risk factor of postural instability. The introduction of these exercise programmes in primary care raise questions about the most effective implementation methods that are accessible and acceptable to older people and support maximum adherence. An understanding of factors that support adherence of older people to exercise programmes is of value to community nurses to enable them to deliver health promotion advice appropriately. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the findings from interviews with older people to explore their experiences in relation to access and acceptability of local community based postural stability exercise classes.