Effects of fall prevention program on fall risk perceptions and fall prevention behaviors among older adults in the community
Keywords:
Fall prevention program, Older adults in the community, FallsAbstract
Falls are a major health concern frequently observed among older adults, with significant impacts on both physical and psychological well-being. They may lead to injuries, fractures, disabilities, and in severe cases, death. This quasi-experimental study, employing a two-group pretest–posttest design, aimed to examine the effects of a fall prevention program on fall-prevention perception and behavior among older adults in the community. The sample consisted of 40 older adults, randomly assigned into an experimental group (n=20) and a control group (n=20). The experimental group participated in the fall prevention program for 8 weeks, whereas the control group received routine self-care. The research instruments included (1) the fall prevention program, (2) a fall-prevention perception questionnaire, and (3) a fall-prevention behaviors questionnaire. The reliability coefficients (Cronbach’s alpha) of the perception and behavior questionnaires were .78 and .79, respectively. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, independent t-tests, and paired t-tests. The results revealed that after the intervention, the experimental group had significantly higher mean scores in both perception and behavior related to fall prevention compared to the control group (t=4.36, p<.001; t=5.58, p<.001, respectively). Within the experimental group, post-intervention mean scores for both perception and behavior were significantly higher than pre-intervention scores (t=-10.42, p<.001; t=-8.53, p<.001, respectively). These findings indicated that the fall prevention program was effective in enhancing perception and behavior concerning fall prevention among older adults in the community. Therefore, this program may be applied as a health promotion strategy to prevent falls in this population
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