title: Home-Delivered Meals and Risk of Self-Reported Falls: Results From a Randomized Trial.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether home-delivered meals, and the frequency of delivery, reduces self-reported falls among homebound older adults. Data come from a randomized parallel three-arm study of 371 older adults on seven Meals on Wheels programs' waiting lists. Participants were randomly assigned to receive (a) daily meal delivery ( n = 139); (b) once weekly, frozen meal delivery ( n = 106); or (c) control, remain on the waiting list for meals ( n = 126). Participants were surveyed at baseline and 15 weeks post randomization. At follow-up, 36 (28.6%) in the control group, 29 (27.4%) receiving once weekly delivered meals, and 33 (23.7%) receiving daily delivered meals reported a fall (compared with control, daily meal risk ratio [RR] = 0.83, 95% confidence limits [CL] = [0.55, 1.25]; frozen meal RR = 0.96, 95%CL = [0.63, 1.45]). Our study suggests that daily delivered meals may reduce the risk of falls. Additional work is needed to understand the effect of meals on falls, particularly among previous fallers, a high-risk subgroup.
authors: 1 Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.|2 US Department of Veterans Affairs, Providence, RI, USA.
authors: Kali S
authors: KS
authors: Thomas
authors: 3 Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
authors: Ravi B
authors: RB
authors: Parikh
authors: 1 Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
authors: Andrew R
authors: AR
authors: Zullo
authors: 1 Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.|2 US Department of Veterans Affairs, Providence, RI, USA.
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Dosa
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005522:Food Services; D018577:Homebound Persons; D006801:Humans; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011446:Prospective Studies; D057566:Self Report; D014481:United States
keywords: falls; homebound; nutrition