Factors Associated with Participation of Community-Dwelling Older Adults in a Home-Based Falls Prevention Program

This observational study was conducted to determine which factors are associated with frequent participation in a home-based exercise program. The effects of frequent participation on health-related outcomes over time are investigated, as well. Community-dwelling adults aged 65 years participated in a twelve-week home-based exercise program. The program consisted of an instruction book with exercises that were performed individually at home. Frequent participation was classified as performing exercises of the instruction book daily or a few days a week during the study period. A logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the association between factors (i.e., demographic and health-related characteristics) and frequent participation. Furthermore, to investigate the effects of frequent participation on health-related outcomes, generalized linear and logistic regression models were built. A total of 238 participants (mean age 81.1 years (SD +/- 6.7), 71% female) were included in the study. Frequent participation during the study period was indicated by fifty-two percent of participants. Analyses showed that a higher degree of pain (OR: 1.02, 95% CI: 1.-1.04) was associated with frequent participation. In addition, the effect of frequent participation over time was a significant improvement in current health perceptions (B: 4.46, SE: 1.99).