Article for Review: Sherrington, C., Michaleff, Z.A., Fairhall,
N., et al. (2016). Exercise to prevent falls in older adults: an updated
systematic review and meta-analysis. British Journal of Sports Medicine DOI
10.1136/bjsports-2016-096547
This systematic review
and meta-analysis aimed to update the research on the use of exercise to
prevent falls in older adults. All included studies were randomized controlled
trials comparing the fall rates of the intervention group (who received
exercise as a single intervention) with the fall rates of the control group. A
total of 19,478 participants across 88 trials were examined.
Conclusion: It was found that exercise reduced the rate of falls by 21% in the community-dwelling
older adult population. Programs that included a balance component and those
that required more than 3 hours per week had greater effects. Results also
showed that exercise had a positive effect on those with Parkinson’s disease
and those with a cognitive impairment.
By Christl Bradley, fieldwork student with CAOT-BC
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