Functional Reach and Gait Speed Improvement in A Matter of Balance Participants

Falls among older adults are the most common cause of hospital admissions. A Matter of Balance may reduce these falls by improving balance, flexibility, gait speed, and agility.

The study aimed to measure functional reach and gait speed among adults older than 65 years following A Matter of Balance. It was hypothesized that functional reach scores would increase and gait speed scores would decrease.

This was an interventional study with the primary outcomes of functional reach (measured by the Functional Reach test) and gait speed (measured by the Timed Up and Go test). A one-tailed paired t test was used to compare pre- and postprogram functional reach mean differences. A one-tailed Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for comparing median differences of pre- and postprogram gait speed. Characteristics of participants who improved scores were compared with those who did not improve, using two-tailed independent-samples t tests and two-tailed Pearson's χ2. Effect sizes were computed for tests significant beyond p < .05.

Mean functional reach increased by 0.6 inches (SD = 2.21, p = .002; d = 0.2). Median gait speed decreased by 1.25 s (interquartile range = 2.39, p < .001; r = .76). Improvement was not attributable to differences of age, sex, health status, preexisting conditions, or delivery site.

Following A Matter of Balance, functional reach and gait speed improved. Adults older than 65 years should be encouraged to participate in the program, as it may reduce their fall risk.