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The Falls Prevention Study
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Scientific Study Title:
The Falls Prevention Study: Implementing an Evidence-Based Exercise Program to Reduce Falls in Community-Dwelling Older Adults
Start Date:
  • 2021
End Date:
  • 2026
Research Category
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Why do this research?

Falls are a major health care problem for older adults and health care systems as they account for 50 per cent of injury-related hospital admissions, 40 per cent of nursing home admissions, and a 10 per cent increase in home care services. This is why preventing falls is important.

There is strong evidence that the Otago Exercise Program, which consists of strength and balance training delivered by a physical therapist, can reduce falls in older adults 65+, but only 25 per cent of people who start, continue with the program over time.

Our team thinks this trend can, and should, be changed. We want to help more people continue with the Otago Exercise Program over time to receive maximal benefits. We aim to test if a strategy that includes the use of new technology and specific counselling techniques can help more people to continue with the Otago Exercise Program over time.

What will be done?

We will test two methods to prepare and support physical therapists to deliver the Otago Exercise Program. Method One will include the standard Otago Exercise Program training. Method Two will include the same training and practice to set specific and tangible goals to motivate patients with a Brief Action Planning expert.

We are recruiting 40 physical therapists and 200 older adults who have recently had a fall. The physical therapists will be randomly assigned to receive one of the two training/practice methods. They will then deliver the Otago Exercise Program to five eligible older adult patients. A proportion of the sessions will be voice recorded for researchers to analyze how the exercise program is delivered.

Physical therapists who are assigned to Method Two will be offered the goal-setting training after they finish delivering the program to their five patients.

The Research Team

Principal Investigator

  • Linda Li, BSc(PT), MSc, PhD, FCAHS, Senior Scientist, Implementation Science, Arthritis Research Canada (University of British Columbia)

Co-Investigators

  • Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose, University of British Columbia
  • Dr. Jennifer Davis, University of British Columbia Okanagan
  • Megan Oakey, BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit
  • Cheryl Koehn, Arthritis Consumer Experts
  • Jasmin Ma, PhD, P.Kin, Clinician Investigator, Arthritis Research Canada (University of British Columbia)
  • Dr. Chris Shaw, Simon Fraser University
  • Hui Xie, BSc, MS, PhD, Research Scientist, Biostatistics, Arthritis Research Canada (Simon Fraser University)
  • Dr. Larry Dian, University of British Columbia
  • Dr. Lynne Feehan, University of British Columbia
  • Dr. Deborah Jehu, Augusta University
  • Funding Agency:; This study is funded by the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research

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