title: Using commercial video games for falls prevention in older adults: the way for the future?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Falls in older adults are an increasingly costly public health issue. There are many fall prevention strategies that are effective. However, with an increasing population of older people and ever-decreasing availability of health practitioners and health funding, novel modes of intervention are being developed, including those relying on computer technologies.The aim of this article was to review the literature on the use of exergaming to prevent falls in older adult persons living in the community.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Cochrane, Medline, and Embase databases were searched using prespecified search terms. To be included, studies had to investigate the effect of using commercially available consoles and video games on outcome measures such as a decrease in falls, improvements in balance control or gait parameters, decreased fear of falling, and attitude to exercise in older adult persons living in the community. All study designs with the exception of single-person case studies were included. Articles had to be published in peer-reviewed journals in the English language.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nineteen studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The following outcomes were observed: (1) using computer-based virtual reality gaming for balance training in older adults was feasible; (2) the majority of studies showed a positive effect of exergaming on balance control; (3) some studies showed a positive effect on balance confidence and gait parameters; (4) the effect was seen across the age and sex spectrum of older adults, including those with and without balance impairment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is as yet no evidence that using virtual reality games will prevent falls, but there is an indication that their use in balance training may improve balance control, which in turn may lead to falls prevention.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Military and Veterans' Health, Research Coordination Unit, Mayne Medical School, The University of Queensland, Herston, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pietrzak
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cotea
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pullman
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D004856:Postural Balance; D018910:Video Games