title: Moving forward in fall prevention: an intervention to improve balance among older adults in real-world settings.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We investigated the effectiveness of a group-based exercise intervention to improve balancing ability among older adults delivered in natural settings by staff in local community organizations.
  
  
  METHODS
  The main component of the intervention consisted of biweekly group-based exercise sessions conducted over 12 weeks by a professional, coupled with home-based exercises. In a quasiexperimental design, 10 community organizations working with older adults offered the intervention to groups of 5 to 15 persons concerned about falls, while 7 organizations recruited similar groups to participate in the control arm of the study. Participants (98 experimental and 102 control) underwent balance assessments by a physiotherapist at registration and 3 months later.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eighty-nine percent of participants attended the 3-month measurement session (n=177). A linear regression analysis showed that after adjusting for baseline levels of balance and demographic and health characteristics, the intervention significantly improved static balance and mobility.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Structured, group-based exercise programs offered by community organizations in natural settings can successfully increase balancing ability among community-dwelling older adults concerned about falls.
authors.affiliation: Institut national de santé publique du Québec and the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McGill University, Montreal, Canada. yvonne.robitaille@inspq.qc.ca
authors.forename: Yvonne
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Robitaille
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Laforest
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fournier
authors.forename: Lise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gauvin
authors.forename: Manon
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Parisien
authors.forename: Hélène
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Corriveau
authors.forename: Francine
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Trickey
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Damestoy
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D004856:Postural Balance; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors