Effectiveness of the program to prevent falling and risks for sarcopenia among elderly in an elderly club

Abstract

The objective of this research was to study the effectiveness of the program designed to prevent falling and to reduce the risks for sarcopenia on muscle strength, ability to control oneself while walking, daily protein consumption, sarcopenia risks, and fear of falling. The sample consisted of 58 elderly from Nong Bua Sala subdistrict, Mueang Nakhon Ratchasima district, Nakhon Ratchasima province who volunteered and participated in all program sessions. The program aimed to improve the elderly’s ability to prevent falling and to reduce risks for sarcopenia. It comprised of six 3-hour sessions, held once a week for 6 weeks. Instruments used to measure the program’s outcomes included the grip strength test to assess muscle power, an instrument to measure the ability to control oneself while walking (Five Times Sit-to-Stand [FTSST] and Timed Up and Go Test [TUG]), questionnaires on daily protein consumption and sarcopenia risks, and the Fear of Falling (FOF) questionnaire short form. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and paired sample t-tests, with a significance level of p = 0.05. The results showed that the majority of the participants were female (81.0%), aged between 60 and 87, with an average age of 69.59 ± 7.0 years. The effectiveness of the program, measured before and after attending the program over 2 months, showed that muscle strength (from the grip strength test) significantly increased (t = 3.216, p = 0.002). The time taken to complete the Five Times Sit-to-Stand Test (FTSST), which measures the ability to control oneself while walking, significantly decreased (t = -5.821, p < 0.001), and their Fear of Falling scores significantly decreased (t = -4.646, p < 0.001). There were no significant differences observed in their ability to control themselves while walking using the Timed Up and Go Test (TUG), daily protein consumption, and sarcopenia risks.