Table 1.
Summary of included interventions
| Falls prevention and balance interventions | Other intervention types | Mixed | |||||||||||||||
| Campbell 33 | Cheung29 | Kingston 37 | Kovács30 | Surakka35 | Surakka36 | Waterman34 | Ackley-Holbrook31 | Chen39 | Gleeson25 26 | Jeter41 | Jeter42 | Larsson43 | Miszko40 | Ponchillia27 | Salari28 | Hackney32 | |
| Study design | RCT | RCT | PP | RCT | PP | RCT | RCT | PP | RCT | RCT | PP | RCT | PP | PP | PP | PP | RCT |
| Sample size | 391 | 50 | 24 | 41 | 27 | 29 | 49 | 21 | 40 | 120 | 10 | 21 | 8 | 10 | 3 | 30 | 32 |
| Mean age (years) | 84 | 83 | 80 | 69 | 54 | 56 | 81 | 48 | 86 | 75 | 46 | 55 | 52 | 53 | 31 | 22 | 79 |
| Basis of PA intervention | Otago | Balance +strength | Matter of balance | Otago | Balance | Balance | Otago | Walking | Tai chi | Alexander technique | Yoga | Yoga | Dance | Tai chi | Aerobics | Core stability | Exp.=Dance Ctrl=FallProof |
| Delivery mode* | Self-directed | Group | Group | Group | Group or mixed | Group | Self-directed | Self-directed | Group | Group | Mixed | Mixed | Group | Mixed | Group | – | Group |
| Duration | 1 year | 12 weeks | 4 weeks | 6 months | 5–6 weeks | 5–6 weeks | 6 months | 8 weeks | 16 weeks | 12 weeks | 8 weeks | 8 weeks | 8 weeks | 8 weeks | 7 weeks | 8 weeks | 10–12 weeks |
| Compliance | 18% | 100% | – | 95% | Mean number of sessions=13.5 | – | Equivocal | 94% | – | 100% | – | 82% Sessions 90% home practice |
– | – | – | – | 25/32 Completed all sessions |
| Retention | 92% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 89% | 100% | 88% | 81% | 62% | 93% | 70% | 81% | 88% | 80% | 100% | – | 78% |
| Adverse outcomes | n=1 Moderate injury | None | – | n=22 Falls | – | – | None | n=2 Falls | – | n=2 Deaths, n=1 hospitalisation | – | None | – | None | – | – | – |
| Results† | |||||||||||||||||
| Falls and balance | Mixed | + | NT | 0 | DA | NT | 0 | NT | + | + (postural sway) | DA | + | ~ + | DA | NT | + | + |
| Functional capacity | NT | + | DA | + | NT | + | NT | + | + | 0 | NT | + | ~ + | DA | ~ + | NT | + |
| Psychological . well-being |
NT | NT | NT | NT | DA | NT | 0 | NT | NT | 0 | DA | NT | NT | DA | NT | NT | 0 |
‘–’ represents not reported.
*Mixed=self-directed sessions in combination with regular group classes or face-to-face session; Group=group class-based only.
†+=statistically significant result in favour of intervention, 0=no statistically significant change, ~+=analysis at individual level showing significant change.
Ctrl, control; DA, descriptive analysis only; Exp, experimental; NT, not tested; PA, physical activity; PP, pre–post; RCT, randomised controlled trial.