USPSTF: Exercise Interventions Recommended to Prevent Falls in Seniors

TUESDAY, Dec. 5, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends exercise interventions and suggests individualizing recommendations for multifactorial interventions to prevent falls among community-dwelling seniors. These findings form the basis of a draft recommendation statement published online Dec. 5.

Janelle M. Guirguis-Blake, M.D., from the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Oregon, and colleagues conducted a systematic review of the evidence on the effectiveness of interventions to prevent falls in community-dwelling older adults. Data were included from 83 fair- to good-quality randomized controlled trials with 48,839 participants. The researchers found that most studies examined the effectiveness of multifactorial and exercise interventions. Multifactorial interventions were associated with a significant reduction in the number of falls but not in the number of people with a fall, the number of falls resulting in injury, or the number of people with a fall resulting in injury. Exercise interventions were associated with a significant reduction in the number of falls, number of people with a fall, and number of falls resulting in injury, but no reduction in the number of people with a fall resulting in injury.

Based on these findings, the USPSTF recommends exercise interventions to prevent falls in community-dwelling adults age 65 years or older at increased fall risk (Grade B). In addition, the decision to recommend multifactorial interventions for fall prevention should be individualized for community-dwelling adults age 65 years or older at increased fall risk (Grade C).

The draft evidence review and draft recommendation statement have been posted for public comment. Comments can be submitted from Dec. 5, 2023, to Jan. 8, 2024.

Draft Evidence Review

Draft Recommendation Statement

Comment on Recommendation Statement