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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Aging and Public Health
Volume 12 - 2024 |
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1459225
This article is part of the Research Topic International Perspectives on Older Adult Social Isolation and Loneliness View all 23 articles
Effectiveness of Evidence-Based Fall Prevention Programs to Reduce Loneliness in the United States
Provisionally accepted- Texas A and M University, College Station, United States
The purpose of this study was to identify the effectiveness of evidence-based fall prevention programs to reduce loneliness among older adults. Administration for Community Living (ACL) grantee data were collected in a national repository. Data were analyzed from 12,944 participants across 12 fall prevention programs (e.g., A Matter of Balance, Stepping On, Tai Ji Quan, Otago Exercise Program, Bingocize) between January 2021 and July 2023. To assess loneliness, participants were asked, “how often do you feel lonely or isolated?” The response choices for this single 5-point item ranged from “never” to “always.” A linear mixed-effects multivariable regression, with program type included as a random effect, was fitted to assess changes in loneliness before and after fall prevention workshops. The model controlled for program type and delivery site type as well as participants’ age, sex, ethnicity, race, education, living alone, number of chronic conditions, number of falls in the three months preceding baseline, and workshop delivery site type and attendance. Significant reductions in loneliness scores were observed from baseline to post-workshop (P<0.001), which were more pronounced among participants with more frequent baseline loneliness (P<0.001). Participants who attended more workshop sessions reported reduced loneliness at post-workshop (P=0.028). From baseline to post-workshop, loneliness increased among participants who lived alone (P<0.001) and reported two or more falls in the three months preceding baseline (P=0.002). From baseline to post-workshop, compared to White participants, increased loneliness was observed among Black (P=0.040), and Asian (P<0.001) participants. Participants with more chronic conditions reported more loneliness from baseline to post-workshop (P=0.004). Relative to participants who attended workshops at senior centers, increased loneliness was observed among participants who attended workshops at residential facilities (P=0.034) and educational institutions (P=0.035). Findings expand our understanding about the benefits of small-group fall prevention workshops to reduce loneliness among older participants. Results suggest that disease profiles, living alone, fall history, and workshop location (and attendee dynamic) may impede social connection among some participants.
Keywords: Fall prevention, Loneliness, evidence-based program, Older adult, Evaluation
Received: 03 Jul 2024; Accepted: 26 Aug 2024.
Copyright: © 2024 Smith and Han. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Matthew Lee Smith, Texas A and M University, College Station, United States
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