Exercise interventions for preventing falls in older people living in the community

Falls among older people are an international public health issue that requires significant attention from authorities. Around a third of people aged 65 and over experience at least one fall each year.1 Falls can lead to serious consequences, such as fractures, hospital admissions, mobility-related disability, loss of confidence and reduction in community participation. Importantly, costs related to falls are dramatically increasing worldwide.2 The previous (2009) version of this Cochrane systematic review of randomised trials3 provided evidence that the rate of falls in older people can be reduced with preventive interventions, such as exercise programmes, cataract surgery and psychoactive medication withdrawal. This updated systematic review by Gillespie et al 4 aimed to assess the effects of interventions designed to prevent falls in older people living in the community. Different types of interventions were included, such as exercises, educational programmes, medication and surgery. The focus of this PEDro summary is on the trials evaluating exercise interventions compared to control interventions (ie, usual care and placebo intervention). This review followed the methodology advocated by the Cochrane Collaboration. Electronic databases (the Cochrane Bone, Joint and Muscle Trauma Group Specialised Register, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL) and online trial registers were searched. Ongoing and unpublished trials were identified by contacting researchers …