Effects of a Fall Prevention Exercise Program on Body Composition, Muscle Strength and Balance, and Frailty in Community-Dwelling Elderly

낙상예방운동프로그램이 재가노인의 신체구성요소, 활동체력 및 허약수준에 미치는 효과

Purpose: To examine the effects of a fall prevention exercise program on the community-dwelling elderly. Methods: The nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design involved 16. subjects in the experimental group and 17 in the control group. The experimental group received the fall prevention exercise program for 50 minutes, three times each week for 12 weeks. Results: After program participation, the experimental group of subjects showed significantly higher lower limb strength higher endurance, and higher balance than the control group of subjects. The danger of being injured in a fall was also significantly lower in the experimental group. However, there were no significant differences in body constituent factors, agility, and flexibility between the two groups after the intervention. Conclusion: The 12 week fall prevention exercise program was effective in increasing lower limb muscular strength, endurance, balance, and body strength, and in decreasing the danger status of fall injuries. These results suggest that this fall prevention exercise program could be utilized as an effective nursing intervention modality in elderly persons.