Abstract Body: Introduction: Fear of falling affects nearly 50% of older women, leading to activity restriction and an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Balance training is the most effective intervention to improve balance confidence and reduce falls, lowering fall rates by 23%. However, most older adults, particularly women, do not engage in routine training. Digital interventions can improve the accessibility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness of balance training, but evidence supporting home-based, remotely-guided interventions to reduce fall risk in community-dwelling older adults is limited. This pilot study examined the feasibility and acceptability of Boost Your Balance, an 8-week multi-component, remotely-guided, digital balance intervention in older women.
Methods: We enrolled 69 older women (mean age 81) of varying self-reported physical function and physical activity levels, who were part of the intervention arm of the Women’s Health Initiative Strong and Healthy (WHISH) trial. We sent participants an email containing a balance education, movement training, and balance exercise video. We then sent the balance exercise video 3 times per week for 8 weeks. Pre-determined benchmarks for feasibility and acceptability included program satisfaction, adverse event rates, recruitment and retention rates, and the ability to perform and upload videos of functional performance tests. We conducted semi-structured interviews to explore participants’ experiences and barriers to participation.
Results: We achieved many of our pre-established benchmarks, with qualitative data offering valuable insights for improvement. Most participants rated the program as "extremely" helpful, showing high satisfaction with the intervention. The majority appreciated the ease of access to the intervention components, highlighting their helpfulness in improving balance. Additionally, 100% of participants indicated they would recommend the program to a friend. Barriers to participation included factors like travel, acute illness, and lack of time. Very few participants found any aspect of the program unhelpful. Suggestions for improvement included requests for more specific exercise instructions and additional exercises to maintain balance gains.
Conclusions: Results of this study support the feasibility and acceptability of the Boost Your Balance intervention and highlight its potential for broader implementation as a scalable solution for fall prevention in older women.