A Matter of Balance: A Six-Month Outcomes Study of a Falls Self-Efficacy Program

Introduction: Falls and fall-related injuries are a public health problem that can seriously affect older adults' quality of life and are a significant burden to our health care system. The current study looks at the outcomes of A Matter of Balance, an Administration on Aging (AoA)-funded falls self-efficacy program, six months after participants completed the course. Methods: As part of a contract with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Booz Allen Hamilton worked with Seattle Senior Services to identify participants for the study. Between March 2008 and February 2009, a total of 923 participants across four states were identified to complete the 30-minute phone survey. Topics covered included feelings of self efficacy, health-related quality of life, falls prevention knowledge and behaviors, and continuation of program exercises. Microsoft Access was used to input all data and the data was analyzed using SAS. Results: A total of 320 participants successfully completed the survey between May and October 2010. Data showed that A Matter of Balance not only increased participants' self-confidence, but the confidence gained remained with participants once the class ended. Five of the six fall prevention behaviors learned increased from pre-survey to six-month follow-up, while participants continued to do the 13 course exercises approximately three days a week at six-months post intervention. Conclusion: Although A Matter of Balance increases participants' falls self-confidence, it should be implemented in conjunction with an evidence-based falls prevention program that will assist participants to gain the strength and balance needed to prevent falls.