Methods- 200 participants volunteered for this study (86 men and 104 women aged 69-84 years). Each participant was randomly placed into either the Mobile Falls Clinic group or the Health Education group. Each participant was aware of what group they were placed in but the researchers were unaware of group placement. A set of measurements was taken on each participant before the study, 3 months after the study, and 6 months after the study. 2 way mixed ANOVA and independent t tests were analyzed in SPSS to determine whether significant differences existed between means of each group.
Results- Figure 1a shows the results between the MFC and HE groups for physiological profile assessment (PPA) score at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. 2-Way Mixed ANOVA tests demonstrated a significant difference between time and treatment (F(2,396)=16.155 p<0.001). Upon further analysis, an independent sample t test revealed no significant differences between mean(SD) PPA scores for the MFC group (2.51(0.99)) and the HE group (2.48(0.97)) at baseline (t(198)=0.219, p=0.827). At 3 months the MFC group was found to have a significantly lower mean PPA score (1.48(0.97)) compared to the HE group (2.47(1.18)) (t(191)=-6.523, p<0.001). At 6 months the MFC group was also found to have a significantly lower mean PPA score (1.88(0.90)) compared to the HE group (2.79(0.96)) (t(198)=-6.918, p<0.001).
Figure 1b shows the results between the MFC and HE groups for MVPA score at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. 2-Way Mixed ANOVA tests demonstrated a significant difference between time and treatment group (F(2,396)=242.3, p<0.001). Upon further analysis, an independent sample t test revealed the MFC group had a significantly lower mean PPA score (10.0(1.8)) compared to the the HE group (11.3(1.7)) (t(198)=-5.168, p<0.001). At 3 months the HE group was found to have a significantly lower mean PPA score (9.8(1.9)) compared to the MFC group (14.9(1.9)) (t(198)=18.588, p<.001). At 6 months the MFC group was found to have a significantly lower mean PPA score (9.0(1.9)) compared to the HE group (11.5(2.1)) (t(198)=-8.644, p<0.001).
Conclusions-
INTRODUCTION
It has been well documented that older adults are at increased risk of sustaining life threatening injuries due to falls. 1 in 3 seniors aged 65 or older will fall at least once each year (2). Falls contribute to a big percentage of deaths in older adults. This is in fact due to the frailty and weakness that comes with aging. Older adults have a poor sense of balance, poor vision, muscle weakness, and a