One major cause of health concerns in older adults is the rising number of fall incidents. Previous studies suggested that physical exercise is among the most effective strategies for reducing the risk of falling in this age group. This study examines the efficacy of the 21-style SDIIBRF developed by a group of dance and rehabilitation experts in improving balance and mitigating the risk of falling of Hong Kong’s older adults at risk of falling through a wait-list randomised controlled trial. Fifty-two older adults (mean age=72.7±4.1) were included in this interim analysis, and they were randomly assigned to either the dance group (DANG; n=26) or the wait-list control group (WLCG; n=26). Participants in the DANG participated in 12 dance training sessions (~120 minutes each with rest breaks) in a group once a week for 12 weeks. Two assessment sessions before training at baseline (T0) and just after the completion of the 12 dance training sessions (T1) were completed. The primary outcome measure of the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) was evaluated in this interim analysis. A 2 x 2 Group (DANG, WLCG) x Time (T0, T1) mixed Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) for the primary outcome measure was conducted. A main effect of Group x Time interaction (F(1,50)=8.718, p=0.005, ηp2=0.148) was found. The DANG improved their BBS scores significantly more than the WLCG from T0 to T1. This result suggests that the SDIIBRF could improve the balance and reduce the risk of falling in older adults at risk of falling.

Authors:
Wai Lung, Thomson Wong, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, China

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Thomson Wong is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

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