ICT-based system to predict and prevent falls (iStoppFalls): study protocol for an international multicenter randomized controlled trial

Abstract

BackgroundFalls are very common, especially in adults aged 65 years and older. Within the current international European Commission’s Seventh Framework Program (FP7) project ‘iStoppFalls’ an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) based system has been developed to regularly assess a person’s risk of falling in their own home and to deliver an individual and tailored home-based exercise and education program for fall prevention. The primary aims of iStoppFalls are to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention program, and its effectiveness to improve balance, muscle strength and quality of life in older people.Methods/DesignThis international, multicenter study is designed as a single-blinded, two-group randomized controlled trial. A total of 160 community-dwelling older people aged 65 years and older will be recruited in Germany (n = 60), Spain (n = 40), and Australia (n = 60) between November 2013 and May 2014. Participants in the intervention group will conduct a 16-week exercise program using the iStoppFalls system through their television set at home. Participants are encouraged to exercise for a total duration of 180 minutes per week. The training program consists of a variety of balance and strength exercises in the form of video games using exergame technology. Educational material about a healthy lifestyle will be provided to each participant. Final reassessments will be conducted after 16 weeks. The assessments include physical and cognitive tests as well as questionnaires assessing health, fear of falling, quality of life and psychosocial determinants. Falls will be followed up for six months by monthly falls calendars.DiscussionWe hypothesize that the regular use of this newly developed ICT-based system for fall prevention at home is feasible for older people. By using the iStoppFalls sensor-based exercise program, older people are expected to improve in balance and strength outcomes. In addition, the exercise training may have a positive impact on quality of life by reducing the risk of falls. Taken together with expected cognitive improvements, the individual approach of the iStoppFalls program may provide an effective model for fall prevention in older people who prefer to exercise at home.Trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry Trial ID: ACTRN12614000096651.International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number: ISRCTN15932647.

Exploring User Experience and Technology Acceptance for a Fall Prevention System: Results from a Randomized Clinical Trial and a Living Lab

“…This paper is using data from an international, multicenter study designed as a single-blinded, two-group randomized clinical trial (RCT) with a total of 153 community-dwelling older adults (n = 78 intervention group, n = 75 control group) aged 65+ from Cologne, Germany (n = 59), Valencia, Spain (n = 37) and Sydney, Australia (n = 57) [3]; and a more qualitative-oriented Living Lab (LL) study with a total of 15 communitydwelling older adults aged 65+ from Siegen, Germany.…”

“…There is an increasing awareness in medical and gerontology research that digital games, especially whole-body movement games, have the potential to reduce falls and increase overall health and quality of life (QoL) [1,2]. Information and communication technology (ICT)-based programs offer a promising alternative method to reduce fall risk factors in older adults in their own home, using digital gamebased systems and unobtrusive sensoring [3]. The main advantage is that these serious games for health, exergames in particular, can combine exercise and entertainment for older adults [4].…”

Kinect-Based Five-Times-Sit-to-Stand Test for Clinical and In-Home Assessment of Fall Risk in Older People

“…The sample was drawn from two randomized controlled trials; 41 people were control group participants in the SureStep interactive step training trial (Australian New Zealand Clinical Trial ID: ACTRN12613000671763) and 53 were control or intervention group participants in the iStoppFalls trial (ACTRN-12614000096651) [18] . The in-home assessments were conducted with the iStoppFalls intervention participants as part of the larger iStoppFalls trial [18] . The inclusion criteria were: living in the community, aged 65 years or older and being ambulant with or without the use of a walking aid.…”

Technology use, adoption and behavior in older adults: Results from the iStoppFalls project

“…The aim of this study is to report the results of a technology questionnaire initially applied by Marston (2012) in her PhD and a second iteration was utilized by Gschwind et al (2014) in the iStoppFalls randomized controlled trial (RCT). This paper aims to provide a series of results associated with technology use by older adults (65 years or older) collected from a survey distributed across three study sites in three different countries.…”

“…Computer-based randomization allocated participants to the intervention group (IG) conducting a 16-week exercise program using the iStoppFalls system via their television set at home (Gschwind et al, 2014) or a control group. The control group received an educational booklet with general health advice.…”