Fear of falling among community-dwelling older adults: A scoping review to identify effective evidence-based interventions.

This is a scoping review, not a meta-analysis, so it does not combine the trials into one effect estimate. The search was limited to English randomized trials published from 2007 to May 3, 2017, with at least 60 participants and interventions lasting 6 weeks or longer. Only one investigator screened each citation and abstracted each publication, with consensus used only when questions arose. Most studies targeted falls and examined fear of falling as a secondary outcome, and most were done with people who had already fallen, so little is known about preventing fear of falling in older adults who have not fallen. There were no direct comparisons of intervention types or exercise modes, so the review cannot say which option is best. The longest follow-up was 2 years, so long-term effects are unknown. Few studies blinded participants, no interventionists were blinded, and attrition rates ranged from 0.03 to 0.49.

Do not read this as proof that a specific program will work for every older adult. Only 26 of 45 articles reported a statistically significant improvement in fear of falling at any point during follow-up, and the review did not compare intervention types directly.