The Relation between Functional Performance, Falls and Previous Falls Among Participants in the Otago Programme: A Secondary Data Analysis

Fall Prevention in Older Adults: Insights from Saudi Arabian Physical Therapists on the Otago Exercise Program

Purpose

Falls among older adults are a growing public health concern in Saudi Arabia. The Otago Exercise Program (OEP) is an evidence-based intervention aimed at reducing fall risk in this population. This study assessed the knowledge and attitudes of Saudi Arabian physical therapists toward the OEP and examined potential gender-based differences.

Patients and Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted between November 2023 and April 2024, involving 120 licensed physical therapists from Saudi Arabia, recruited via Email and social media. The survey captured sociodemographic data, knowledge, and attitudes regarding the OEP. Responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and Cramér's V to assess the strength of associations, with a significance level set at p < 0.05.

Results

Most physical therapists reported knowledge of the OEP's clinical effectiveness (36.7%), cultural compatibility (35.0%), and fall prevention benefits (28.3%). Gender was not significantly associated with knowledge of clinical effectiveness (χ² = 3.84, p = 0.57), contraindications (χ² = 4.44, p = 0.48), cost-effectiveness (χ² = 4.15, p = 0.52), or fall prevention in older adults (χ² = 2.44, p = 0.78), with moderate effect sizes observed (Cramer's V = 0.233 to 0.467). Attitudes toward the OEP were generally positive, with 51.7% supporting its use in regular aging care and 45.0% expressing confidence in delivering the program. There were no significant gender differences in understanding the OEP's recommendations (χ² = 7.45, p = 0.11) or confidence in program delivery (χ² = 7.62, p = 0.10), although strong association effects were noted (Cramer's V = 0.696 and 0.680, respectively).

Conclusion

This study highlights the strong knowledge and positive attitudes of Saudi physical therapists toward the OEP, underscoring its potential for integration into national healthcare strategies to improve geriatric care and reduce fall-related risks. The findings emphasize the importance of continuous professional development to address knowledge gaps and optimize the implementation of evidence-based fall prevention programs.

Motoric cognitive risk syndrome and its association with falls: a secondary analysis of the Mexican Health and Aging Study

OBJECTIVE

To reveal whether motoric cognitive risk syndrome (MCR) is associated with falls, recurrent falls, and complicated falls in older Mexican adults.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This is a secondary analysis of the Mexican Health and Aging Study. MCR was assessed in 2012 and included fall-related outcomes (recurrent [≥2], complicated [need for medical treatment] and number) in the 2018 follow-up. Competing risks analysis was performed, and subhazard ratios (sHRs) were estimated, adjusting for different variables. Negative binomial regression was used to estimate the incidence rate ratio (IRR) of the number of falls.

RESULTS

A total of 1 929 participants were included, with a median age of 62 years and 58.3% female. The prevalence of MCR was 17.4% and was associated with falls sHR 1.11 (95%CI: 1.11, 1.12), recurrent falls sHR 1.16 (95%CI: 1.15, 1.16) and complicated falls sHR 1.25 (95%CI: 1.24, 1.25). The number of falls was also independently associated with baseline MCR (IRR 1.19; 95% CI 1.01, 1.40; p=0.039).

CONCLUSION

MCR is independently associated with falls. Increasing the evidence on how MCR anticipates burdensome problems in older adults could lead to actions to halt them; therefore, including it in screening assessments could be clinically useful.

Health-Related Physical Fitness as a Risk Factor for Falls in Elderly People Living in the Community: A Prospective Study in China

Objectives

Health-related physical-fitness (HRPF) involves multi-components of physical functional tests and is reported to be associated with the risk of fall. The study sought to determine whether specific physical fitness components were stronger predictors of falls among elderly people.

Methods

This prospective cohort study involved 299 community residents age ≥60 years from Shanghai, China. The baseline data included comprehensive assessment of sociodemographic, clinical, and HRPF test. Subjects were followed for 1 year and were contacted by telephone to report falls. LASSO regression and Multivariate regression analysis were used to identify risk predictors of fall. In addition, we used receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses to determine whether the predictors have diagnostic.

Results

During the 1-year prospective fall assessment, 11.7% of these subjects experienced one or frequent falls. LASSO models revealed that age (=0.01) and 8-ft up-and-go test score (=0.06) were positively associated with falls, while activity-specific balance confidence (ABC; = −0.007) and 2-min step test score (= −0.005) were inversely related. The Area Under roc Curve (AUC) for a linear combination of age, ABC scale score, 2-min step test and 8-ft up-and-go test was 0.778 (95% confidence interval: 0. 700–0.857), which was superior to any of the variables taken alone.

Conclusion

Age, activity-specific balance confidence and fitness abnormalities were determined to contribute to the incident of falls. The value of 2-min step test score, and 8-ft up-and-go test score were the key HRPF components in predicting falls among elderly people.