Development of a Community-Based Fall Prevention Program: Stay in Balance

Background:Falls and fall-related injuries are critical issues for older adults; evidence indicates that multidimensional interventions that address modifiable risk factors can be successful in reducing falls. Few evidence-based fall prevention interventions exist due, in part, to complex issues associated with development and implementation. There is a need for a variety of such programs from which older adults may choose. We describe steps, outcomes, and issues involved in developing/implementing an evidenced-based fall prevention program in community settings.Methods:The Stay In Balance program (SIB), developed by a team of professionals, local service providers and active older adults, was carried out with total of 135 older adults in several steps: developing objectives and program content, laboratory-based randomized controlled trial (RCT), pilot program in the community, community-based RCT, and implementation at 2 community sites.Results:Each step in development provided useful and different insights into needed changes in program content, equipment, support materials, training, and appropriate outcome measures.Conclusion:Development of an evidenced-based fall prevention program requires a long term commitment on the part of all partners, University personnel, local service providers, and older adult participants; funding is also critical.</jats:sec

EFFECTS OF MINDFUL FELDENKRAIS EXERCISES AND STRENGTH TRAINING ON COGNITIVE EXECUTIVE FUNCTION IN OLDER ADULTS

Abstract Decline in cognitive function associated with aging is one of the greatest concerns of older adults and often leads to significant burden for individuals, families, and the health care system. This 3-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) responds to the urgent need to identify strategies which can enhance and/or maintain cognitive vitality in older adults. The study is funded by the National Institute on Aging, and aims to examine the effects of both the mind-body exercise Feldenkrais and strength training on cognitive executive function in independent living older adults (N=90) age 65 to 85. Participants of the first wave (n=45) were randomized to a (1) Feldenkrais group, (2) strength training and (3) no-intervention control group. Intervention groups met twice a week for 12 weeks. Cognitive and physical performance measures of the NIH-Toolbox were used at baseline, post-intervention and at a 3-month follow-up. Results of changes in cognitive executive functions within and across groups will be presented. The findings will suggest if such interventions would be a viable low-cost option for older adults to maintain cognitive vitality and thereby impact the development of programs and guidelines for combatting decline in cognitive function.</jats:p

Study protocol of a randomized intervention study to explore effects of a pure physical training and a mind–body exercise on cognitive executive function in independent living adults age 65–85

Background: Decline in cognitive function associated with aging is one of the greatest concerns of older adults and often leads to a significant burden for individuals, families, and the health care system. Executive functions are most susceptible to age-related decline. Despite the well-known benefits of regular exercise on cognitive health, older adults tend to be less physically active than other age groups. Thus, there is a need to identify strategies that attract older adults and can enhance cognitive vitality. Aims: This article describes the protocol of a study designed to evaluate whether two interventions, a pure physical exercise and a mind–body exercise, can improve cognitive executive function in independent-living older adults. In addition, the study will explore barriers/facilitators related to adherence. Methods: After baseline assessment, participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups (strength training, Awareness Through Movement®, or a control group). Participants of the two active groups will attend the interventions for 12 weeks. The control group continues with the usual everyday life. Assessments will include three measures of executive function of the NIH Toolbox, and are administered at baseline, post-intervention and at 3-month follow-up. The primary outcomes are the changes in cognitive executive function performances. Secondary outcomes include adherence, self-efficacy for exercise, symptoms of depression, mindfulness and enjoyment. Attendance will be used as a measure of adherence. Discussion and conclusion: If successful, the interventions could provide low-cost strategies for older adults to maintain cognitive vitality and has the potential to impact current exercise guidelines

Memphis FitKids: implementing a mobile-friendly web-based application to enhance parents’ participation in improving child health

Abstract Background Child obesity is a major public health challenge, increasing the risk of chronic medical conditions such as type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and hypertension. Among U.S. states, Tennessee has one of the highest rates of child obesity. Emerging communication technologies can help to deliver highly disseminable population-level interventions to improve health behavior. The aim of this paper is to report the implementation and the evaluation of the reach of Memphis FitKids, a web-based application, intended to promote healthy behaviors for families and children. Methods A community-level demonstration project, Memphis FitKids, was developed and implemented in Tennessee’s Greater Memphis Area. This application (www.memphisfitkids.org) was designed for parents to assess their children’s obesity risk through determinants such as weight, diet, physical activity, screen time, and sleep adequacy. A built-in “FitCheck” tool used this collected information to create a report with tailored recommendations on how to make healthy changes. A Geographic Information Systems component was implemented to suggest low-cost neighborhood resources that support a healthy lifestyle. A social marketing framework was used to develop and implement FitKids, and a Community Advisory Board with representatives from community partners (e.g., the YMCA of Memphis, the Pink Palace Family of Museums, and the Memphis Public Library) supported the implementation of the project. Five kiosks distributed in the community served as public access points to provide a broad reach across socioeconomic strata. Presentations at community events and the use of Facebook facilitated the promotion of FitKids. Website traffic and Facebook usage were evaluated with Google Analytics and Facebook Insights, respectively. Results In Tennessee, 33,505 users completed 38,429 FitCheck sessions between July 2014 and December 2016. Among these, 6763 sessions were completed at the five kiosks in the community. FitKids was presented at 112 community events and the social media posts reached 23,767 unique Facebook users. Conclusions The Memphis FitKids demonstration project showed that web-based health tools may be a viable strategy to increase access to information about healthy weight and lifestyle options for families. Mobile-friendly web-based applications like Memphis FitKids may also serve health professionals in their efforts to support their clients in adopting healthy behaviors

Additional file 3: of Memphis FitKids: implementing a mobile-friendly web-based application to enhance parents’ participation in improving child health

FitKids user with iPad. (JPG 394 kb

Additional file 4: of Memphis FitKids: implementing a mobile-friendly web-based application to enhance parents’ participation in improving child health

FitKids - Healthy Community Tool. (JPG 820 kb