| Study characteristics |
| Methods |
RCT |
| Participants |
Setting: Kawage, Mie, Japan
N = 68
Sample: randomly selected people meeting inclusion criteria (63% women)
Age (years): mean 69 (SD 3)
Inclusion criteria: 65 to 74 years old; community‐dwelling
Exclusion criteria: severe neurological or cardiovascular disease; mobility‐limiting orthopaedic conditions |
| Interventions |
1. Exercise intervention: square‐stepping exercises (forward, backward, lateral and oblique steps on a marked mat 250 cm long); supervised group sessions 70 min (30 warm up and cool down) 2 x per wk for 12 wks. Group "further divided" at end of 12 wks, and half (N = 16) continued with sessions "from December 2004 through February 2005", i.e. a further 12 wks
2. Exercise intervention: outdoor supervised walking session 40 min, 1 x per wk for 12 wks. As above, half (N = 18) continued walking for a further 12 wks |
| Outcomes |
1. Rate of falls
2. Number of people falling
3. Number of people with adverse effects
Other outcomes reported but not included in this review |
| Duration of the study |
1 year with 8 months follow‐up after the intervention |
| Notes |
|
| Risk of bias |
| Bias |
Authors' judgement |
Support for judgement |
| Random sequence generation (selection bias) |
Low risk |
Quote: "Randomly allocated.. by a public health nurse who used a computerized random number generation program in which the numbers 0 and 1 corresponded to the two groups, respectively". |
| Allocation concealment (selection bias) |
Unclear risk |
Insufficient information to permit judgement |
| Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias)
All outcomes |
Low risk |
Study described as "single‐blind", presumably meaning that participants were blind to whether they were in the intervention or control groups as both groups received an exercise intervention. Treatment personnel presumably unblinded but judge that lack of blinding unlikely to introduce bias. |
| Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias)
Falls and fallers |
High risk |
Study described as "single‐blind" because both groups received an exercise intervention. Assessors presumably unblinded. |
| Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias)
Falls |
Low risk |
SeeAppendix 3 for method of assessment |
| Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias)
Fallers |
Low risk |
SeeAppendix 3 for method of assessment |
| Risk of bias in recall of falls |
Low risk |
Quote: "All the persons received a pre‐paid postcard at the beginning of each month, which they returned at the beginning of the next month". Instructed to record falls on a daily basis. Phoned or face‐to‐face interview if falls reported. |
