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Yvonne Robitaille, PhD, Sophie Laforest, PhD, Michel Fournier, MA, Lise Gauvin, PhD, Manon Parisien, MSc, Hélène Corriveau, PhD, Francine Trickey, MSc and Nicole Damestoy, MD, MSc, FRCPC

Yvonne Robitaille is with l’Institut national de santé publique du Québec and the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McGill University, Montreal. Sophie Laforest is with the Département de kinésiologie de l’Université de Montréal, Montreal, and with l’Institut de gérontologie sociale, CLSC René-Cassin, Montreal. Michel Fournier, Manon Parisien, and Francine Trickey are with the Direction de santé publique, Agence de développement des réseaux lo-caux de santé et de services sociaux de Montréal, Montreal. Lise Gauvin is with the Département de médecine sociale et préventive and the Centre de recherche Léa-Roback sur les inégalités sociales de santé de Montréal, Université de Montréal. Sophie Laforest and Lise Gauvin are also with the Groupe de recherche interdisciplinaire en santé, Université de Montréal. Hélène Corriveau is with the Centre de recherche sur le vieillissement and the Département de médecine de famille, Université de Sherbrooke, Quebec. Nicole Damestoy is with the Direction de santé publique, Agence de développement des réseaux locaux de santé et de services sociaux de Laval, Quebec.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Yvonne Robitaille, Institut national de santé publique du Québec, 4835 rue Christophe-Colomb, Montréal, Québec, Canada H2J 3G8 (e-mail: yvonne.robitaille{at}inspq.qc.ca).

Objectives. We investigated the effectiveness of a group-based exercise intervention to improve balancing ability among older adults delivered in natural settings by staff in local community organizations.

Methods. The main component of the intervention consisted of biweekly group-based exercise sessions conducted over 12 weeks by a professional, coupled with home-based exercises. In a quasiexperimental design, 10 community organizations working with older adults offered the intervention to groups of 5 to 15 persons concerned about falls, while 7 organizations recruited similar groups to participate in the control arm of the study. Participants (98 experimental and 102 control) underwent balance assessments by a physiotherapist at registration and 3 months later.

Results. Eighty-nine percent of participants attended the 3-month measurement session (n=177). A linear regression analysis showed that after adjusting for baseline levels of balance and demographic and health characteristics, the intervention significantly improved static balance and mobility.

Conclusion. Structured, group-based exercise programs offered by community organizations in natural settings can successfully increase balancing ability among community-dwelling older adults concerned about falls.

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