Educational Intervention for Reducing the Fear of Falling and Improving Balance in the Elderly: A Single Blind Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstractbackgroundfalling is a major health threat for the elderly and has a significant impact on their well-being andquality of life. yet, falls are preventable among the elderly. we sought to determine the effectivenessof an educational intervention in reducing the fear of falling and improving balance among the elderlyvisiting jahandidegan center in shiraz, iran.methodsa preliminary study was conducted to determine the validity and reliability of the modified fallefficacy scale (mfes) for the iranian elderly. then, 40 individuals, 17 males and 23 females, between60 and 74 years old were selected for the survey. the inclusion criteria were “mfes” score of lessthan 8 and berg balance scale (bbs) score of less than 45. after completing the demographicquestionnaire, mfes, and bbs, the participants were randomly allocated to the training or controlgroups. in the training group, each participant took part in one fall prevention class per week for 8consecutive weeks. on the other hand, the control group received no interventions. bbs and mfeswere completed immediately after the intervention. finally, the data were analyzed using independentsample t-test and chi-square test. besides, p < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.resultsa statistically significant difference was found between the two groups regarding bbs and mfesmean scores (pre-post 8 weeks) (p < 0.001). the intervention reduced the fear of falling by 26.5% andimproved balance by 4.3%.conclusionthe study results indicated that attending the training classes was effective in decreasing the fear offalling and improving the balance.