Effects of Circuit Training Combine With Square-Stepping Exercise, Strength Training and Balance Training on Senior Fitness and Fall Risk in Elderly in the Community

According to the cause of death statistics compiled by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in 2022, among the causes of death among the elderly, falls ranked second among the causes of death from accidental injuries over the age of 65. Exercise has been proven to prevent falls in many studies, especially Square-Stepping Exercise can not only train strength and balance, but also improve cognitive function and reduce the fear of falling in the elderly. Therefore, this study will use Square-Stepping Exercise as the core and circuit training as the structure to design a set of exercise training that combines muscle strength and balance and is easy to implement in the community. The purpose of the study is to determine whether exercise training that combines circuit training with block stepping, muscle strength, and balance exercises can reduce the risk of falls among elderly people in the community (primary results: muscle strength, flexibility, cardiorespiratory endurance, balance; secondary results: cognitive function, Fear of falling, fall rate). This study will collect participant in the community, and subjects will be randomly assigned to the experimental group and the control group on a community basis. The experimental group will receive 12 weeks of exercise training, while the control group will follow their usual lifestyle, with 48 people in each group. The experimental design is exercise intervention for 12 weeks, twice a week, 90 minutes each time (30 minutes of main exercise). The exercise is designed into two stages according to the difficulty of Square-Stepping Exercise. The training of muscle strength and dynamic/static balance will also gradually increase in difficulty over the weeks. The research look forward to seeing the effects of multi-component exercise on physical fitness, cognitive function, fear of falling and fall rate.

With the improvement of medical and sanitation, the average life expectancy of human beings around the world has gradually increased, which has led to the trend of an aging society. Therefore, the health issues of the elderly have received more attention. Aging should cause impairment of human body functions, including significant decline in sensory systems (vision, hearing, vestibular, proprioception, etc.), muscle strength, muscle endurance, balance, and gait functions, which may increase accidental falls or injuries. risks. According to the cause of death statistics compiled by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in 2022, among the causes of death among the elderly, falls ranked second among the causes of death from accidental injuries over the age of 65. According to the literature, it was found that most of the causes of falls among the elderly are related to internal factors (including decreased muscle strength, balance, and cognitive function), and exercise has been proven to prevent falls in many studies, especially Square-Stepping Exercise can not only train strength and balance, but also improve cognitive function and reduce the fear of falling in the elderly. It is an intervention method that is easy to implement in the community. Compared with traditional resistance training, circuit training is shorter duration and lower intensity, which may increase compliance with training assistance. Also, can make up for shortcomings of Square-Stepping Exercise. Training takes turns, resulting in long waiting times for a class. In experiments on exercise intervention, it was found that multicomponent exercise combined with a variety of exercises is more effective in preventing falls than a single type of exercise. Therefore, this study will use Square-Stepping Exercise as the core and circuit training as the structure to design a set of exercise training that combines muscle strength and balance and is easy to implement in the community. The purpose of the study is to determine whether exercise training that combines circuit training with block stepping, muscle strength, and balance exercises can reduce the risk of falls among elderly people in the community (primary results: muscle strength, flexibility, cardiorespiratory endurance, balance; secondary results: cognitive function, Fear of falling, fall rate). This study will collect participant in the community, and subjects will be randomly assigned to the experimental group and the control group on a community basis. The experimental group will receive 12 weeks of exercise training, while the control group will follow their usual lifestyle, with 48 people in each group. The experimental design is exercise intervention for 12 weeks, twice a week, 90 minutes each time (30 minutes of main exercise). The exercise is designed into two stages according to the difficulty of Square-Stepping Exercise. The training of muscle strength and dynamic/static balance will also gradually increase in difficulty over the weeks. The research data were analyzed using IBM SPSS, and we look forward to seeing the effects of multi-component exercise on physical fitness, cognitive function, fear of falling and fall rate.

Keywords: community, elderly people, falls, fall prevention, Square-Stepping Exercise, circuit training, exercise training, physical fitness, cognitive function, fear of falling

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

1. Aged 60 years or older.
2. Determine no exercise risk via ACSM's PAR-Q+ (The Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire for everyone).
3. SPPB (Short Physical Performance Battery) score of 10 or above indicates normal mobility.
4. Will not participate in other physical exercise programs after starting this program.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Those who are unable to complete the assessment process (due to hearing, vision, etc.) or participate due to limited mobility problems.
2. Those whose cognitive function cannot cooperate with the assessment process.
3. Those whose attendance rate is less than 80%.