Author/Authors :
Dadgari، Ali نويسنده Department of Geriatric Nursing, School of Nursing & Midwifery, Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Shahroud, Iran AND National Institute of Gerontology, University Putra Malaysia, Kula Lumpur, Malaysia Dadgari, Ali , Aizan Hamid، Tengku نويسنده National Institute of Gerontology, University Putra Malaysia, Kula Lumpur, Malaysia Aizan Hamid, Tengku , Hakim، Mohammad Nazrul نويسنده Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Putra Malaysia. Darul Ehsan, Selangor, Malaysia , , Chaman، Reza نويسنده Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Shahroud, Iran Chaman, Reza , Mousavi ، Seyed Abbas نويسنده Golestan Research Center of Psychiatry, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran , , Poh Hin، Lim نويسنده Department of Medicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Putra Malaysia, Kula Lumpur, Malaysia Poh Hin, Lim , Dadvar، Leila نويسنده Imam Hossein Center for Education, Research and Treatment, Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Shahroud, Iran Dadvar, Leila
Abstract :
Fall is a worldwide health problem among elderly people and a known leading cause of disabilities. Fall prevention programs have been implemented in various forms. The Otago exercise program (OEP) is one of the most recent home-base exercise training program. This study was conducted to examine the effectiveness of OEP to reduce falls among elderly people in Shahroud, IR Iran. This randomised control trial was conducted among the elderly community dwellers in Shahroud city of the Semnan province, IR Iran, with experience of falls in the last 12 months. Subjects of the study (n = 317) were recruited from elderly senior citizens at public health centers. Block systematic random sampling was applied to categorize the subjects in experimental and control groups. The experimental group (n = 160) received OEP for six months and was compared with the control group (n = 157) who received general health training. This study was registered with the following ID, IRCT2014012016285N1. The findings of the study showed that OEP improved physical performance (Berg-Balance-Score with P > 0.025, and Timed-Up-Go-Test with P > 0.017) and functional capacity (Arm-Curl-Test with P > 0.00 and Chair-Stand-Test with P > 0.01). In addition, OEP significantly reduced the incidence of falls (P ≤ 0.00) among senior citizens in the experimental group. The OEP as a home-based exercise is effective for the reduction of the incidence of falls among senior citizens with a history of falls. The OEP can be recommended for elderly homebound people who do not have access to facilities.
