Preventing Falls Together: Social Identification Matters for Engaging Older Adults in a Group-based Exercise Program

According to socioemotional selectivity theory, older adults may attend a falls prevention program due to social-emotional rather than health-related factors. Within a prospective design, N = 174 participants completed a questionnaire (T1) assessing social identification with the training group, risk perception, outcome expectancies, self-efficacy beliefs, intention, health status and form of housing. At follow-up six month later (T2), n = 125 participants provided information on training attendance. A multiple regression analysis with form of housing as moderator revealed that social identification predicted attendance, but only for those participants living alone (β = .87, p < .001). Health-related predictors were not associated with attendance.