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Effects of a home environmental modification program for fall prevention among older adults in northern Thailand: A
Archin Songthap1, Pattama Suphunnakul1, Jutarat Rakprasit2
1Department of Community Health, Faculty of Public Health, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, Thailand.
Background:
The prevalence of falls in older adults has increased in Thailand and worldwide. Falls can cause injuries, disability, and death in older population.
Aims:
The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of a home environmental modification program for fall prevention among the older adults in northern Thailand.
Design And Methods:
A quasi-experimental study was conducted. The study subjects were 80 older adults aged ≥60 years. They were categorized into 2 groups, 40 participants per arm. A questionnaire was employed for data collection. Frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, independent sample t-test, paired t-test, Chi-square test, McNemar's test, and relative risk (RR) were utilized for data analysis.
Results:
After the intervention, the experimental group had significantly higher mean scores of knowledge, social support, and home environmental modification compared to before the intervention and compared to the control group (p<0.05). Further, the proportion of falls in the experimental group was significantly lower than before the intervention, and in the control group (p<0.05). The program can reduce falls by 27.5% and the control group was more likely to have falls 6.0 times than the experimental group after the intervention.
Conclusions:
The program on home environmental modification was effective in preventing falls for older adults. Therefore, healthcare providers, caregivers, health volunteers, and relatives of the older adults should apply this program as a guideline to prevent falls and their consequences in the target group.
