Translating a Functional Exercise Program for Fall Prevention Among Diverse Older Adults in Urban Medically...

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Exercise Science

Background:

• The Lifestyle-integrated Functional Exercise Program (LiFE) effectively reduces falls in older adults.
• Implementation of LiFE in diverse, urban, medically underserved (MU) populations is lacking.
• Adaptation is needed to address barriers like health literacy and representation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To adapt the LiFE program for diverse older adults in MU areas.
• To assess the preliminary feasibility, adherence, and retention of the adapted program (DO LiFE).

Main Methods:

• An exploratory sequential mixed-methods design was used.
• Focus groups with MU older adults and service providers informed program adaptation.
• A pilot study evaluated the adapted DO LiFE program's feasibility.

Main Results:

• Thematic analysis identified health literacy and lack of racial representation as key barriers.
• The DO LiFE pilot demonstrated high feasibility with 89% retention and 81.27% adherence.
• DO LiFE showed promising results for diverse MU older adults.

Conclusions:

• The adapted DO LiFE program is feasible for diverse older adults in MU areas.
• DO LiFE has potential for community-based fall prevention in underserved populations.
• Further research with larger studies is recommended to translate DO LiFE into practice.