Effects of a Multimodal Exercise Program on Physical Function, Falls, and Injuries in Older Women: A 2-Year Community-Based, Randomized Controlled Trial.
To investigate the effects of multimodal supervised exercise on physical functioning, falls, and related injuries in older women.
Two-year randomized controlled trial.
Tampere, Finland.
Women aged 70 to 80 who had fallen in the previous year (n = 409).
Participants were randomly assigned to an exercise or control group (ClinicalTrial.gov NCT00986466). Exercisers participated in group exercise classes twice a week for 12 months and once a week for the subsequent 12 months and home exercises. Controls maintained their current physical activity.
Physical functioning assessed at baseline and at 6-month intervals during the intervention. Falls and related injuries monitored with fall diaries.
Intention-to-treat analyses showed that exercise led to significant improvements in physical functioning. Leg strength differed significantly between the groups (mean change: 14.1%, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 8.0 to 20.2 in exercisers; 1.6%, 95% CI = -4.5 to 7.7 in controls; P