title: Effects of exercise on health-related quality of life and fear of falling in home-dwelling older women.
abstract: This randomized, controlled trial evaluated the effects of exercise on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and fear of falling (FoF) among 149 home-dwelling older women. The 12-mo exercise program was intended to reduce the risk of falls and fractures. HRQoL was assessed by the RAND-36 Survey, and FoF, with a visual analog scale, at baseline, 12 mo, and 24 mo. On all RAND-36 scales, the scores indicated better health and well-being. The exercise had hardly any effect on HRQoL; only the general health score improved slightly compared with controls at 12 mo (p = .019), but this gain was lost at 24 mo. FoF decreased in both groups during the intervention with no between-groups difference at 12 or 24 mo. In conclusion, despite beneficial physiological changes, the exercise intervention showed rather limited effects on HRQoL and FoF among relatively high-functioning older women. This modest result may be partly because of insufficient responsiveness of the assessment instruments used.
authors.affiliation: UKK Institute for Health Promotion Research, Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Saija
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Karinkanta
authors.forename: Ritva
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nupponen
authors.forename: Ari
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Heinonen
authors.forename: Matti
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pasanen
authors.forename: Harri
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sievänen
authors.forename: Kirsti
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Uusi-Rasi
authors.forename: Mikael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fogelholm
authors.forename: Pekka
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kannus
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls; D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living; D004856:Postural Balance; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires