Proportion of participants meeting falls prevention guidelines in an evidence-based community-based exercise program

Although exercise is strongly recommended to prevent falls in older adults (exercise that challenges balance, performed three hours per week on an ongoing basis), few community-based programs meet these recommendations.

Assess the proportion of participants meeting fall prevention exercise recommendations in a community-based program and explore how adherence varies by individual characteristics and participation mode (in-person, tele-exercise, or hybrid).

A cross-sectional analysis of Zoomers in Balance participants who completed an online questionnaire about their demographic data, mode of participation, and their perceived balance intensity in a 12-week series using the Balance Intensity Scale (1-no effort at all to 5-maximal effort). Weekly attendance was self-reported after each 12-week series, and ongoing participation was assessed using registration data over one year.

The average perceived balance intensity was 3.2 ± 0.7 (range 1-5), the average attendance was 1.3 ± 0.6 h/week (range 0.2-4.2), and participants attended an average of 3.4 ± 0.6 series/year (range 2-4). None of the participants met all three guidelines. The most fulfilled recommendation was ongoing participation (43%), which was greater in the hybrid (B = 2.68; p < 0.001) and tele-exercise (B = 1.28; p < 0.001) groups compared with the in-person mode. In addition, the mode of participation was associated with meeting one or more guidelines (χ² = 23.05; p < 0.001), without any significant difference between modes.

Offering hybrid participation options could lead to greater adherence to evidence-based guidelines, thereby reducing the risk of falls.

The proportion of participants meeting fall prevention guidelines in a community-based program is low, with a trend indicating that hybrid options are more effective.