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Research
Can the Otago falls prevention program be delivered by video? A feasibility study
  1. Jennifer C Davis1,
  2. Chun Liang Hsu2,4,5,6,
  3. Winnie Cheung4,5,6,
  4. Penny M A Brasher1,
  5. Linda C Li3,4,5,6,
  6. Karim M Khan4,
  7. Jonathan Sykes7,
  8. Dawn A Skelton8,
  9. Teresa Liu-Ambrose2,4,5,6
  1. 1Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Evaluation, University of British Columbia & Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI), Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
  2. 2Aging, Mobility, and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
  3. 3Arthritis Research Centre of Canada, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada
  4. 4Centre for Hip Health and Mobility, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
  5. 5Department of Physical Therapy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
  6. 6Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
  7. 7eMotionLab, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK
  8. 8School of Health & Life Sciences, Institute of Applied Health Research, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK
  1. Correspondence to Dr Teresa Liu-Ambrose; teresa.ambrose{at}ubc.ca

Abstract

Objectives We assessed the feasibility of delivering the Otago Exercise Programme (OEP) via an interactive DVD (ie, OEP-DVD) in combination with monthly physical therapist phone calls to older adults.

Design This pre-post (baseline and 6-month follow-up) study included an intervention group (n=61) based in a rural location and a control group (n=21) based in a city.

Setting Sechelt and Vancouver, British Columbia.

Participants 82 community-dwelling adults ≥75 years.

Intervention Individuals in the intervention group received the OEP-DVD and were instructed to do the exercises 3 times a week after their initial home physical therapist visit for 6 months.

Primary and secondary outcomes Feasibility was ascertained by withdrawal rate and compliance to the OEP-DVD. The number of participants and the frequency (ie, number of times weekly) they performed the OEP exercises and walking were used to estimate compliance. The potential benefit of the OEP-DVD on falls risk profile (Physiological Profile Assessment (PPA)) and mobility were examined by comparing the change in the intervention group compared with the control group. Self-reported compliance to the exercise programme was assessed by monthly returned diary.

Results Of the 82 participants, 2 withdrew from the OEP-DVD group and none withdrew from the control group. We obtained compliance data on 72% of participants in the intervention group. The mean OEP-DVD compliance was 87% and the mean walking compliance was 166%. After adjusting for baseline PPA, baseline age, sex, baseline comorbidities, baseline cognitive status and baseline falls-related self-efficacy, there was a significant between-group improvement in the overall PPA score (OEP group pre-PPA to post-PPA score: 0.79±1.2 to 0.7±0.9; p<0.05) at study completion.

Conclusions Although the OEP-DVD resulted in significant reductions in falls risk among community-dwelling older adults, there was a notable loss to follow-up limiting the feasibility of this approach.

  • Aging
  • Fall
  • Exercise

This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjsem-2015-000059

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