Marketing Fall Prevention Classes to Older Adults in Faith-Based Congregations

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This cluster randomized trial will test whether a social marketing program implemented in churches can motivate older adults to join exercise classes, in order to improve their strength and balance and thus prevent falls.

Detailed Description
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Injuries from falls are a leading cause of emergency visits, hospitalizations, and deaths in older US adults, resulting in total lifetime costs of more than $19 billion in 2000. Fall injuries reduce independence and mobility, and increase disability and institutionalization. There is good evidence that community-based group exercise classes focusing on strength and balance prevent older adult falls, but uptake is limited. This study will test a new approach to promote participation in group balance-retraining exercise classes, targeting older adults in faith-based congregations. The proposal addresses national research priorities to evaluate strategies for dissemination and implementation of effective interventions to prevent falls among community-dwelling older adults. Focus groups and key informant interviews will provide research-based understanding of church members aged 60+ and those who influence them, and explore facilitators and barriers to class participation. With this formative research, a targeted social marketing program will be developed to motivate participation. Behavioral change and social marketing theories form the intervention's theoretical basis and will guide program design. The marketing program aims to increase class attractiveness, usability, and uptake by reducing barriers or costs and using incentives or other benefits to reinforce participation. Churches, representing varied denominations and communities, will be randomly allocated to intervention (marketing program implementation) or control (no program) groups. Outreach to diverse churches will ensure that materials and strategies target potentially hard-to-reach (e.g., Hispanic, rural) populations. The trial will test whether older adult members of intervention churches are more likely to join balance retraining classes. Factors that may mediate intervention effects will be examined. Secondary outcomes include baseline fall risk among class participants, assessed by physical function tests; and intensity, diffusion, message penetration and acceptability of the marketing program, and persistent facilitators and barriers to class participation, evaluated with process measures, focus groups, and structured interviews.

Official Title
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Marketing Fall Prevention Classes to Older Adults in Faith-Based Congregations: Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

Conditions
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Accidental Falls

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Marketing program to motivate exercise class participation


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Churches located in Mesa County, Colorado, that have adult members who are aged 60 and older Exercise class participants will include community-dwelling members of enrolled churches who are aged 60 and older, English- or Spanish-speaking, ambulatory with or without assistive devices, and cognitively able to consent and be tested. Exclusion Criteria: Older adults with any medical condition that precludes participation in an exercise program, as determined by the participant or their physician, or who are not physically able to pass the Modified-Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction in Balance (M-CTSIB) at baseline

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 60 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Prevention
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Social marketing program<br>Behavioral: Social marketing program to motivate exercise class participation | Behavioral: Marketing program to motivate exercise class participation<br>* Using qualitative research methods, a targeted social marketing program, including a 'marketing toolkit,' was developed to motivate participation in exercise classes by older adult members of churches. The Health Belief and Transtheoretical Models formed the theoretical basis for the social marketing planning process and guided program design. The marketing program aimed to increase exercise class attractiveness, usability, and uptake by reducing barriers and costs, and using messaging about benefits and enhanced convenience to motivate participation. The intervention was implemented through churches.<br>|
| No Intervention: Control<br>Control: No intervention | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The primary endpoint is defined as attending at least one balance-retraining exercise class designed to reduce older adult falls |  | During the two-year intervention period | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Baseline fall-risk status of participants who attend at least one balance-retraining exercise class for fall prevention |  | During the two-year intervention period | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Accidental Falls, Aged, Social Marketing, Exercise, Accident Prevention, Religion, Randomized Controlled Trial