Assessment of balance and functionality elderly after a fall prevention program for Primary Care

• Grant number: 14/15869-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2015
• End date: December 31, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Karina Gramani Say
• Grantee: Ana Julia de Lima Bomfim
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 15/08420-4 - Within-session adaptation and reliability of test of reactive stepping in response to external postural perturbations, BE.EP.IC

Abstract

An important aspect to be studied in the elderly population is the occurrence of falls, prevention of it has a key role in decreasing morbidity, costs in Public Health and mortality. Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of a workshop on fall prevention in the public health system of an interior city in the variables of the aging process (postural balance, grip strength, body composition) before and after 6 months of the prevention program. The sample consisted of 60 elderly individuals who will be divided into 2 groups: the first group consists of 30 individuals who suffered falls in the last twelve months or fear of falling workshop participants fall prevention Primary Care and control the second group of by seniors who did not fall in the last twelve months and do not participate in fall prevention workshop. For the evaluation of the dynamic equilibrium Mini bestest will be applied to the analysis of body composition scale bioimpedance and calculating the Body Mass Index (BMI), the fear of falling through the FES-I instrument and grip strength manual will be assessed by the dynamometer. This study intends to characterize the state of body balance in elderly subjects who did not fall compared to older individuals who experienced falls in the last twelve months and attending the Unified Health System Moreover, it is intended to verify the influence of body composition in the events of falls.