Summary of included comparisons (n=99 comparisons in 88 trials) grouped by residence and health condition
| Residence/health condition* | Residential care | General community | Parkinson's disease | Stroke | Cognitive impairment | After hospital discharge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of comparisons | 15 | 69 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Sample size at randomisation, mean (SD), total sample | 134 (147) 1876 | 264 (341) 15 773 | 134 (89) 669 | 126 (35) 252 | 91 (104) 272 | 212 (146) 636 |
| Follow-up (weeks), mean (SD) | 33 (15) | 51 (27) | 30 (19) | 25 (23) | 31 (19) | 35 (15) |
| PEDro score,† mean (SD) | 6 (2) | 6 (1) | 7 (1) | 8 (0) | 7 (1) | 8 (1) |
| Average age >75 years | 14 | 33 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Control group falls/person-year or proportion who fell in follow-up period, mean (SD) | 1.8 (1.4) | 1.0 (0.9) | 16.1 (13.7) | 2.1 (0.3) | 1.5 (1.6) | 2.2 (1.3) |
| Unselected population (increased fall risk not an inclusion criterion) | – | 37 | – | – | – | |
| Moderate or high intensity strength training‡ | 3 | 28 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| High intensity strength training§ | 1 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Moderate or high challenge balance training¶ | 9 | 47 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| High challenge balance training** | 5 | 31 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Moderate or high intensity endurance training†† | 2 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Flexibility programme‡‡ | 3 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Walking programme§§ | 9 | 29 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Ten exercise participants/instructor¶¶ | 14 | 25 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Exercises tailored in type or intensity*** | 8 | 31 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| 2+ hours of exercise per week††† | 5 | 40 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 3+ hours of exercise per week‡‡‡ | 2 | 20 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Good adherence§§§ | 13 | 52 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
*Studies in the clinical populations were also among community dwellers.
†Coded using PEDro rating scale.14
‡,§Moderate intensity (40–60% of the 1-repetition maximum (RM) that is, a weight so heavy that it can only be lifted once) or high intensity (>60% 1RM).
¶,**Moderately challenging=two of the following criteria or highly challenging=all three criteria: movement of the centre of mass, narrowing of the base of support and minimising upper limb support.
††Moderate intensity=40–60% maximum heart rate, some increase in breathing or heart rate, or perceived exertion of 11–14 on the Borg scale or high intensity=above 60% of maximum heart rate or heart rate reserve, large increase in breathing or heart rate (conversation is difficult or broken) or perceived exertion of 15 or greater on the Borg scale.
‡‡Short-duration or long-duration stretches specifically mentioned.
§§Walking programme/practice was specifically mentioned.
¶¶Ten or fewer participants per instructor.
***Type or intensity of most exercises was designed for each individual based on an assessment.
†††,‡‡‡Greater than or equal to 2 or 3 hours of exercise with instructor plus prescribed home exercise per week over intervention period.
§§§Greater than or equal to 75% participants attended 50% or more sessions and/or >50% attendance rate.