ผลของโปรแกรมการออกกำลังกายแบบแอโรบิกชนิดแรงกระแทกต่ำระยะ 4 สัปดาห์ต่อประสิทธิภาพการทรงตัวและภาวะกลัวการหกล้มในผู้สูงอายุที่มีความเสี่ยงต่อการหกล้ม

Rapeepun Thungtak; Siwaporn Thongurai; Kanjana Walaiwarreepatthana; Bunchanit Saengow

Authors

Rapeepun Thungtak Faculty of Physical Therapy, Saint Louis College
Siwaporn Thongurai Faculty of Physical Therapy, Saint Louis College
Kanjana Walaiwarreepatthana Faculty of Physical Therapy, Saint Louis College
Bunchanit Saengow Faculty of Physical Therapy, Saint Louis College

Keywords:

Elderly, balance performance, fear of falling, low-impact aerobic exercise

Abstract

Exercise has been shown to improve balance performance and reduce fear of falling in older adults. However, empirical evidence concerning the effects of low-impact aerobic exercise in fall-risk older adults remains limited. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of low-impact aerobic exercise on balance performance and fear of falling in the elderly. Nineteen older adults volunteered to participate in this study. They were randomly assigned to one of two groups: a low-impact aerobic exercise group (n = 9) and a control group (n = 10). Balance performance was measured using the Berg Balance Scale and the Timed Up and Go Test. The fear of falling was assessed using the Thai-Short Falls Efficacy Scale before and after the exercise program. All assessment instruments had established validity and reliability in older adults. Data were analyzed using the t-test for normally distributed variables, whereas the Wilcoxon Signed Rank test and Mann-Whitney U test were applied for non-normally distributed variables. After four weeks of the exercise, the low-impact aerobic exercise group showed a significant improvement in balance performance compared to pre-exercise levels (p < 0.05). In comparison with the control group, it also demonstrated a significantly reduced fear of falling at post-exercise (p < 0.05). Therefore, the low-impact aerobic exercise program used in this study was effective in improving balance performance and reducing fear of falling in the fall-risk elderly.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Kittisomprayoonkul W, Yosnuengnit P, Panyasriwanich S. Textbook of rehabilitation medicine. 4th ed. Bangkok: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University; 2017. (in Thai)

National Statistical Office. Statistics on population number and proportion by age group, 2023 [internet]. 2023 [cited 2025 Jun 2]. Available from: https://www.nso.go.th/public/ebook/-Statistical-Yearbook/SYB-2023/55 (in Thai)

Bottomley J. Geriatric rehabilitation: a textbook for the physical therapist assistant. 1st ed. Boca Raton: Taylor & Francis; 2024.

Ruhardi R, Sugiyanto S, Hidayatullah MF. The differences on the effect of low impact and high impact aerobic exercise against the decreasing of total cholesterol levels on women. J Educ Health Sport. 2018;8(9):285-93. doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.6983204.

Zhao R, Bu W, Chen X. The efficacy and safety of exercise for prevention of fall-related injuries in older people with different health conditions, and differing intervention protocols: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. BMC Geriatr. 2019;3(19):341. doi:10.1186/s12877-019-1359-9.

Shumway-Cook A, Woollacott MH, Rachwani J, Santamaria V. Motor control: translating research into clinical practice. 6th ed. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health; 2023.

Sengarsai P, Charonpongsuntorn C, Muntham D. Effect of low impact aerobic exercise on fear of falling, balance and health of quality of life in Thai older people. J Prev Med Assoc Thailand. 2022;12(1):14-23. (in Thai)

Rismayanthi C, Saputra KA, Dwijayana KW. The effect of low impact aerobic exercise on increasing physical fitness for the elderly. J Keolahragaan. 2022;10(1):128-36. doi:10.21831/jk.v10i1.48743.

Rosa MV, Perracini MR, Ricci NA. The Berg balance scale as a screening test to predict falls in older adults: a systematic review. Innov Aging. 2017;1(Suppl 1):433. doi:10.1093/geroni/igx004.1554.

Sermsinsiri K, Samesri S, Nonthakrawat S. Effects of square stepping exercise on balance ability in elderly at risk of falling. Royal Thai Army Nurs J. 2019;20(1):359-70. (in Thai)

Berg KO, Wood-Dauphinee SL, Williams JI, Maki B. Measuring balance in the elderly: validation of an instrument. Can J Public Health. 1992;83(2):S7-11.

Zhou J. Reliability and validity of instrumented timed up and go test in typical adults and elderly: a systematic review. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2025;106(7):1092-107. doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2025.03.001doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2025.03.00545.

Thiamwong L. Psychometric testing of the falls efficacy scale-international (FES-I) in Thai older adults. Songkla Med J. 2011;29(6):277-87. (in Thai)

Thungtak R, Sisukphet N, Sodaphak W, Thongluam S. The effect of group-based balance training program on reducing fear of falling among older adults with diabetes: a pilot study. Christian Univ J. 2019;25(3):78-88. (in Thai)

Miyata K, Asakura T, Shinohara T, Usuda S. Minimal clinically important difference for mini-balance evaluation systems test and berg balance scale: a systematic review. Jpn J Rehabil Med. 2021;5:555-64. doi:10.2490/jjrm.58.555.

de Rond V, D'Cruz N, Hulzinga F, McCrum C, Verschueren S, de Xivry JO, et al. Neural correlates of weight-shift training in older adults: a randomized controlled study. Sci Rep. 2023;13(1):19609. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-46645-4.

Papalia GF, Papalia R, Diaz Balzani LA, Torre G, Zampogna B, Vasta S, et al. The effects of physical exercise on balance and prevention of falls in older people: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Clin Med. 2020;9(8):2595. doi: 10.3390/jcm9082595.

Shumway-Cook A, Woollacott MH. Motor control: translating research into clinical practice. 4th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2012.

Sherrington C, Michaleff ZA, Fairhall N, Paul SS, Tiedemann A, Whitney J, et al. Exercise to prevent falls in older adults: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Sports Med. 2017;51(24):1750-8. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2016-096547.

Soleimani R, Alvandi H, Azari N, Mobasheri M, Hasanzadeh A, Bagherikholenjani F. Impact of balance training on fear of falling and fall rate in older women. J Educ Community Health. 2022; 9(3):155-61. doi:10.34172/jech.2022.23.