Abstract
Objectives
This study examined the benefits of and differences between 12 weeks of thrice-weekly
supervised balance training and an unsupervised at-home balance activity (using the
Nintendo Wii Fit) for improving balance and reaction time and lowering falls risk
in older individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
Design
Before-after trial.
Setting
University research laboratory, home environment.
Participants
Sixty-five older adults with type 2 diabetes were recruited for this study. Participants
were randomly allocated to either supervised balance training (mean age 67.8 ± 5.2)
or unsupervised training using the Nintendo Wii Fit balance board (mean age 66.1 ±
5.6).
Intervention
The training period for both groups lasted for 12 weeks. Individuals were required
to complete three 40-minute sessions per week for a total of 36 sessions.
Measurement
The primary outcome measure was falls risk, which was as derived from the physiological
profile assessment. In addition, measures of simple reaction time, lower limb proprioception,
postural sway, knee flexion, and knee extension strength were also collected. Persons
also self-reported any falls in the previous 6 months.
Results
Both training programs resulted in a significant lowering of falls risk (P < .05). The reduced risk was attributable to significant changes in reaction times
for the hand (P < .05), foot (P < .01), lower-limb proprioception (P < .01), and postural sway (P < .05).
Conclusions
Overall, training led to a decrease in falls risk, which was driven by improvements
in reaction times, lower limb proprioception, and general balance ability. Interestingly,
the reduced falls risk occurred without significant changes in leg strength, suggesting
that interventions to reduce falls risk that target intrinsic risk factors related
to balance control (over muscle strength) may have positive benefits for the older
adult with T2DM at risk for falls.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: December 27, 2017
Footnotes
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Identification
Copyright
© 2017 AMDA - The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine.
