Background Exercise is effective in order to prevent falls in community-dwelling older people. Self-management programs have the potential to increase access and reduce costs related to exercise-based fall prevention. However, information regarding older people’s views of participating in such programs is needed to support implementation. The aim of this study was to explore older people’s experiences of a self-management fall prevention exercise routine guided either by a digital program (web-based or mobile) or a paper booklet. Methods This qualitative study was part of a feasibility study exploring two completely self-managed exercise interventions in which the participants tailored their own program, guided either by a digital program or a paper booklet. Individual face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of 28 participants (18 women), mean age 76 yrs. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the data. Results Self-managing and self-tailoring these exercise programs was experienced as ‘Managing pieces of a personal puzzle’. To independently being able to create a program and manage exercise was described in the categories ‘Finding my own level’ and ‘Programming it into my life’. The participants experienced the flexibility and independence provided by completely self-managed exercise as positive and constructive although it required discipline. Furthermore, different needs and preferences when managing their exercise were described, as well as varying sources of motivation for doing the exercise, as highlighted in the category ‘Defining my source of motivation’. The category ‘Evolving my acquired knowledge’ captures the participants’ views of building their competence and strategies for maintenance of the exercise. It describes a combined process of learning the program and developing reflection, which was more clearly articulated by participants using the digital program. Conclusions This study provides new knowledge regarding experiences, preferences and motivations of older people to engage in home-based self-managed fall prevention exercise. They expressed both a capability and willingness to independently manage their exercise. A digital program seems to have strengthened the feeling of support while creating their own exercise program and tailoring it to their preferences and circumstances, which might therefore create better opportunities for adoption and adherence in the long term.

Background Exercise is an effective intervention to prevent falls in older adults; however, long-term adherence is often poor. To increase adherence, additional support for behavior change has been advocated. However, consistency in the reporting of interventions using behavior change techniques is lacking. Recently, a classification system has been developed to increase consistency in studies using behavior change techniques within the self-determination theory. Objective This study aimed to explore expressions of self-determination among community-dwelling older adults using a self-managed digital fall prevention exercise program comprising behavior change support (the Safe Step program), which was developed in co-creation with intended users. Methods The qualitative study design was based on open-ended responses to questionnaires, and individual and focus group interviews. A deductive qualitative content analysis was applied using the classification system of motivation and behavior change techniques as an analytical matrix, followed by an inductive analysis. Twenty-five participants took part in a feasibility study and exercised in their homes with the Safe Step program for 4 months. The exercise program was available on computers, smartphones, and tablets, and was fully self-managed. Results In the deductive analysis, expressions of support were demonstrated for all three basic human psychological needs, namely, autonomy, competence, and relatedness. These expressions were related to 11 of the 21 motivation and behavior change techniques in the classification system. The inductive analysis indicated that autonomy (to be in control) was valued and enabled individual adaptations according to different rationales for realizing exercise goals. However, the experience of autonomy was also two-sided and depended on the participants’ competence in exercise and the use of technology. The clarity of the program and exercise videos was seen as key for support in performance and competent choices. Although augmented techniques for social support were requested, support through relatedness was found within the program. Conclusions In this study, the Safe Step program supported the establishment of new exercise routines, as well as the three basic human psychological needs, with autonomy and competence being expressed as central in this context. Based on the participants’ experiences, a proposed addition to the classification system used as an analytical matrix has been presented. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02916849; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02916849

IntroductionExercise interventions have a strong evidence base for falls prevention. However, exercise can be challenging to implement and often has limited reach and poor adherence. Digital technology provides opportunities for both increased access to the intervention and support over time. Further knowledge needs to be gained regarding the effectiveness of completely self-managed digital exercise interventions. The main objective of this study is to compare the effectiveness of a self-managed digital exercise programme, Safe Step, in combination with monthly educational videos with educational videos alone, on falls over 1 year in older community-dwelling adults.Methods and analysisA two-arm parallel randomised controlled trial will be conducted with at least 1400 community-living older adults (70+ years) who experience impaired balance. Participants will be recruited throughout Sweden with enrolment through the project website. They will be randomly allocated to either the Safe Step exercise programme with additional monthly educational videos about healthy ageing and fall prevention, or the monthly education videos alone. Participants receiving the exercise intervention will be asked to exercise at home for at least 30 min, 3 times/week with support of the Safe Step application. The primary outcome will be rate of falls (fall per person year). Participants will keep a fall calendar and report falls at the end of each month through a digital questionnaire. Further assessments of secondary outcomes will be made through self-reported questionnaires and a self-test of 30 s chair stand test at baseline and 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after study start. Data will be analysed according to the intention-to-treat principle.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval was obtained by The Regional Ethical Review Board in Umeå (Dnr 2018/433-31). Findings will be disseminated through the project web-site, peer-reviewed journals, national and international conferences and through senior citizen organisations’ newsletters.Trial registration numberNCT03963570.

Falls are the most common cause of injury in old age 1-3. In addition to fractures and other fall-related injuries, falls may lead to loss of balance confidence and social restrictions 4. The cause of falls is multifaceted, based on both personal, environmental, and activity-related factors. Problems with balance and gait are frequently documented risk factors for falls 5 , but it is still unclear what measurements to use in different populations for the purpose of fall prediction. Consequently, the choice of tools is often guided by the ease of use for clinicians and older adults instead of by adequate measurement properties. Therefore, evaluating measurements tools, which can be of help in the decision to whom fall preventive measures should be recommended, still remains an important issue in fall prevention. Well-functioning older adults living in the community are often overlooked regarding fall prevention, however, they are also prone to falls 6,7. Multifactorial interventions have been shown to decrease risk factors associated with falls, reduce admission to hospital and nursing homes, and preserve and improve physical function in community living older adults 8. However, in a meta-analysis, neither multifactorial nor multicomponent interventions presented strong evidence for improving fall-related outcomes 9. Interestingly, other meta-analyses have shown that exercise interventions, as a single intervention, reduce fall rates by more than 20%, up to 39% among community-living older adults 10,11. The use of assessment Abstract Objectives: Previous research has shown that balance and gait difficulties are predictors of falls. The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive validity of two tools reporting on balance and gait among older communityliving adults independent in personal activities of daily living (p-ADL). Methods: Prospective study design. Baseline assessment included the Timed Up and Go test (TUG) and the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). Following baseline, falls were recorded monthly for one year by 202 participants (70.1% women) who were independent in p-ADL, and at least 75 years old (79.2±3.5). ROC-curves were made and AUC were calculated. Results: Fortyseven percent of the participants reported falls. AUCs calculated for TUG were 0.5 (95% CI: 0.5-0.6) for those with at least one fall, and 0.5 (95% CI: 0.5-0.6) for recurrent fallers. Corresponding figures for SPPB were 0.5 (95% CI: 0.5-0.6) and 0.5 (95% CI: 0.5-0.6). Conclusion: This study does not support a recommendation to use the Timed Up and Go test or the Short Physical Performance Battery as tools for the identification of fall-prone persons among older adults living in the community. These results reinforce the need for further research into appropriate tools for identifying independent but fall-prone older adults.

Background: To have an impact on the population's health, preventive interventions have to reach a large proportion of the intended population. Digital solutions show potential for providing wider access to fall preventive exercise. However, there is a lack of knowledge about how to reach the target group. The aim of this study was to describe the recruitment process used in the Safe Step randomised controlled trial and the characteristics of the participants reached.Methods: Several recruitment methods, both digital and non-digital, were adopted to reach the intended sample size. Sociodemographic parameters from the baseline questionnaire were used to describe participant characteristics. The characteristics were also compared to a representative sample of older adults in the Swedish population.Results: In total, 1628 older adults were recruited. Social media proved to be the most successful recruitment strategy, through which 76% of the participants were recruited. The participants reached had a mean age of 75.9 years, lived in both urban and rural locations, were already frequent users of the Internet and applications (smartphone/tablet) (79.9%), had higher education (71.9%), and a large proportion were women (79.4%). In comparison with the general population participants in the Safe Step study were more highly educated (p < 0.001), women in the study more frequently lived alone (p < 0.001) and men more often reported poorer self-rated health (p = 0.04). Within the study, men reported a faster deteriorating balance (p = 0.003) and more prescribed medication (p < 0.001) than women. Conclusion:Recruitment via social media is a useful strategy for reaching older adults, especially women and frequent users of the Internet, for a fully self-managed and digital fall prevention exercise intervention. This study underlines that a range of interventions must be available to attract and suit older adults with different functional statuses and digital skills.