Practicing Getting Up from the Floor to Reduce Fear of Falling and Improve Floor-Rise Ability in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: a Pilot Study

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Fear of Falling; Floor-Rise Ability; Falls; Post-Fall Recovery; Older Adults (65 Years and Older)

• Registration Number: NCT06823882
• Lead Sponsor: Glasgow Caledonian University

Brief Summary

Goal:

This pilot study aims to determine whether practicing getting down to and standing up from the floor reduces fear of falling (FoF) and improves older adults' ability to complete this task. The study compares this to a control group that watches educational videos on the same topic. This practice is referred to as Floor-Rise Training (FRT).

Main Questions:

1. Can a short FRT intervention reduce fear of falling?

2. Can a short FRT intervention improve the ability to rise from kneeling, sitting, and lying positions?

3. Does watching an instructional video on FRT improve fear of falling or floor-rise ability?

Study Design:

Researchers will compare:

* A group receiving 20 minutes of FRT weekly for 5 weeks.

* A control group watching FRT videos followed by discussions over the same period. Changes in floor-rise ability and FoF will be assessed to determine the effectiveness of FRT.

Participants:

Participants will be recruited from five Otago exercise classes (a falls prevention program without FRT) in Renfrewshire. Each class will be randomly assigned to either:

* The FRT intervention group (3 classes).

* The control group (2 classes) watching videos that include an FRT demonstration. Participants will complete questionnaires (to assess FoF) and timed floor-rise tests before and after the intervention. Some may also be invited to focus groups to share their experiences with the intervention, videos and with our recruitment procedures.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2024-01-15
• Primary Completion: 2024-03-01
• Study Completion: 2024-03-19
• Status Verified: 2025-02
• Study First Submitted: 2025-02-07
• Study First Submitted QC: 2025-02-07
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-02-07
• Study First Posted: 2025-02-12
• Last Update Posted: 2025-02-12

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 61

Inclusion Criteria

• Aged 65 or older
• Able to provide written informed consent
• Currently engaged with ROAR and attending the Otago exercise classes

Exclusion Criteria

• Requiring a walking frame indoors to mobilise
• Have any medical condition that renders it inadvisable to descend to the floor (e.g. such as awaiting knee replacement surgery)
• Any uncontrolled medical condition requiring medical input
• BM I≥ 30 kg/m2
• Lacking capacity to consent to participate
• Unable to comprehend FRT instructions

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I)	Baseline and 1 week following the intervention (6 weeks post-baseline).	A 16-item questionnaire that assesses concern about falling during daily activities. Scores range from 16 (no concern) to 64 (severe concern). A lower score indicates a lower fear of falling.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Timed Floor-Rise (Supine to Standing)	Baseline and 1 week following the intervention (6 weeks post-baseline).	Time taken (in seconds) for a participant to rise independently from a supine position (lying on their back) to a standing position using a sturdy chair. Faster time indicates improved ability.
Timed Floor-Rise (Sitting to Standing)	Baseline and 1 week following the intervention (6 weeks post-baseline).	Time taken (in seconds) for a participant to rise from a sitting position on the floor to standing using a sturdy chair. Faster time indicates improved ability.
Timed Floor-Rise (Kneeling to Standing)	Baseline and 1 week following the intervention (6 weeks post-baseline).	Time taken (in seconds) for a participant to rise from a kneeling position to standing using a sturdy chair. Faster time indicates improved ability.
Perceived Ability to Manage Falls (PAMF)	Baseline and 1 week following the intervention (6 weeks post-baseline).	The PAMF is a 5-item questionnaire measuring confidence in independently recovering from a fall. Scores range from 4 to 20, with higher scores indicating greater confidence.
Fear of Falling Visual Analog Scale (VAS) - Indoor	Baseline and 1 week following the intervention (6 weeks post-baseline).	Participants mark with an "x" on a 0-100 scale measuring fear of falling indoors, with higher scores indicating greater fear.
Fear of Falling Visual Analog Scale (VAS) - Outdoor	Baseline and 1 week following the intervention (6 weeks post-baseline).	Participants mark with an "x" on a 0-100 scale measuring fear of falling outdoors, with higher scores indicating greater fear.
Activity Avoidance (VAS)	Baseline and 1 week following the intervention (6 weeks post-baseline).	Participants mark with an "x" on a 0-100 scale measuring the percentage of activities avoided due to fear of falling, with higher scores indicating greater avoidance.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Glasgow Caledonian University; 🇬🇧 Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom