A video game may not be the first idea that comes to mind in terms of strategies to prevent a fall, but a new gamified exercise platform helped some older adults thwart a spill.
A trial conducted by a team from Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) and University of New South Wales found that gamified step exercises lowered the number of falls 26% compared to a control group. A total of 769 people over the age of 65 were part of the study, which was published in Nature Medicine on Tuesday.
All of the people were asked to participate in the smart±step exercise games for 120 minutes per week over the span of one year. The participants reported any falls, and the researchers compared how many falls occurred in each group.
Over the 12 month-study period, people who took part in the program had fewer falls. That is, 36% of the exercise group had a fall in the study period, whereas 48.2% of the control group had a tumble.
“It was really encouraging to see that smart±step, an exercise gaming console that anyone can enjoy at home completely unassisted from a therapist, brought a benefit to older people by preventing falls,” Daina Sturnieks, lead author of the study and Senior Research Scientist at NeuRA and UNSW Sydney, said in a statement.
“Regular balance-challenging exercise is effective at preventing falls, so we tried to make exercise fun and easy to do,” Sturnieks said.
The researchers said the results aren’t completely conclusive. That’s because the research was conducted in people who were generally high functioning and well-educated. The participants also knew which group they were in (intervention or control).
“The findings cannot be generalized to frailer older people,” the researchers said.
Balance exercises have shown the best evidence for fall prevention, Sturnieks said.
“We’ve known for a long time that, if done correctly and consistently, balance-challenging exercises can prevent falls. But the problem is that often people don’t keep up with their exercises because they can get boring very quickly,” she says.
What exactly was the program like? The smart±step was connected to a television screen. The user can select a game, and then must complete it on a mat. The benefits of smart±step exercise games, or exergames, give physical and mental benefits, as people are also undertaking cognitive training when they play.
“These exergames require people to think quickly, unlike traditional exercise programs where you often just go through the movements,” Sturnieks said. The smart±step exergames involve stepping on a mat, which acts as a controller.
“Exergames are like a two-in-one: you get physical benefits but also you are keeping yourself cognitively challenged, which is good for the brain and healthy aging. Plus, it’s fun,” Sturnieks added.
