McMurdo 1997.
| Methods | Study design: RCT Number of study arms: 2 Length of follow‐up: 24 months |
|
| Participants | Setting: Dundee, Scotland UK Number of participants: 118 Number analysed: 92 Number lost to follow‐up: 26 Sample: women recruited by advertisement Age (years): mean 64.5, range 60 ‐ 73 Sex" 100% female Inclusion criteria: community‐dwelling; post‐menopausal Exclusion criteria: conditions or drug treatment likely to affect bone |
|
| Interventions | 1. Group‐based balance training: programme of weight‐bearing exercise to music, 45 minutes, 3 a week, 30 weeks a year, over 2 years, plus 1000 mg calcium carbonate daily 2. Control: 1000 mg calcium carbonate daily | |
| Outcomes | 1. Rate of falls
2. Number of people who experienced 1 or more falls (risk of falling) 3. Number of people who experienced 1 or more fall‐related fractures |
|
| Duration of the study | 104 weeks | |
| Adherence | Adherence measured by class attendance. Mean tablet complicance was 97% in both groups 1. Group‐based balance training group: Mean class attendance, 76%; range 46 ‐ 100% |
|
| Notes | Source of funding: Scottish Home and Health Department; Renacare supplied calcium carbonate tablets Economic information: not reported |
|
| Risk of bias | ||
| Bias | Authors' judgement | Support for judgement |
| Random sequence generation (selection bias) | Unclear risk | Method of randomisation not described |
| Allocation concealment (selection bias) | Unclear risk | Insufficient information to permit judgement |
| Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) All outcomes | Unclear risk | Participants and personnel implementing the intervention not blind to allocated group, but impact of non‐blinding unclear |
| Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) Falls | Unclear risk | Falls reported by participants who were aware of their group allocation. Insufficient information to permit judgement |
| Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) Fractures | Unclear risk | Method of recording fractures is unclear |
| Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) Hospital admission, medical attention and adverse events | Unclear risk | Not applicable |
| Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) Health related quality of life (self report) | Unclear risk | Not applicable |
| Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) Falls and fallers | High risk | More than 20% of fall data were missing (26%) |
| Selective reporting (reporting bias) | Unclear risk | Minimum set of expected outcomes not reported (adverse events not reported) |
| Method of ascertaining falls (recall bias) | Unclear risk | No description about ascertainment of falls |