Household Physical Activity and Risk for Future Falls in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that gardening or yardwork caused less fall risk; people with better balance may have been more able to garden. The sample was small (99 analysed) and mostly White females (74.7% White and 77.8% female), so it may not apply to other groups. Participants were independently ambulatory and excluded if they used a cane or other mobility device, had uncorrected visual impairment, cognitive impairment or dementia, or were homebound, so the findings do not apply to more impaired older adults. The balance score was split at 50 or lower to define higher risk, so the finding depends on that split. Household physical activity was self-report and may be influenced by social desirability, although it was checked against accelerometers in this sample. Gardening and yardwork were combined, so the study cannot tell whether gardening, yardwork, or both drove the association. Other household activities were omitted because they did not correlate with accelerometers or because participation was low, so the study cannot determine their association with fall risk. The study could not control for other types of physical activity because of missing data or lack of validity.

Do not conclude gardening or yardwork prevents future falls. The study was cross-sectional and found an association with a balance score, not a tested fall-prevention intervention.