NCT02570178

Effectiveness of an Intervention to Improve Balance and Decrease Falls in the Elderly (EWii)

Randomized Clinical Trial Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Primary Care Intervention Using the NintendoTM Wii Console to Improve Balance and Decrease Falls in the Elderly (EWii)

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 1,037 (actual)
• Sponsor: Fundacio d'Investigacio en Atencio Primaria Jordi Gol i Gurina · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 70 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The objectives of this study are to evaluate the usefulness of an intervention utilizing the NintendoTM Wii console in order to improve balance, thereby decreasing both the fear of falling as well as the number of falls, and to evaluate the correlation between balance as determined by the console and the value obtained in the Tinetti tests and the one foot stationary test.

Detailed description

Balance alteration is a risk factor for falls in elderly individuals that has physical, psychological and economic consequences. The objectives of this study are to evaluate the usefulness of an intervention utilizing the NintendoTM Wii console in order to improve balance, thereby decreasing both the fear of falling as well as the number of falls, and to evaluate the correlation between balance as determined by the console and the value obtained in the Tinetti tests and the one foot stationary test. Methods/Design: This is a controlled, randomized clinical trial of individual assignment, carried out on patients over 70 years in age, from five primary care centers in the city of Mataró (Barcelona). 380 patients were necessary for the intervention group that carried out the balance board exercises in 2 sessions per week for a 3 month period, and 380 patients in the control group who carried out their usual habits. Balance was evaluated using the Tinetti test, the one foot stationary test and with the console, at the start of the study, at the end of the intervention (3 months) and one year later. Quarterly telephone follow-up was also conducted to keep track of falls and their consequences. Discussion: The study aimed to connect the community with a technology that may be an easy and fun way to assist the elderly in improving their balance without the need to leave home or join rehabilitation groups, offering greater comfort for this population and decreasing healthcare costs since there is no need for specialized personnel.

Conditions

• Postural Balance
• Accidental Falls
• Intervention Studies

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	balance training	Participants complete 2 sessions per week for 30 minutes each, over a period of three months and are distributed in groups of four individuals carrying out the exercises at once.The groups were led by monitors who had received standardized training. Each participant was barefoot on the balance board, carrying out the different exercises in the balance area of the Wii Fit™ game, according to the indications made on the screen.Eight out of the nine balance exercises were used from the Wii Fit™ game (balance bubble, soccer heading, ski jump, table tilt, ski slalom, penguin slide, snowboard slalom, tightrope walk);.The number of repetitions of each exercise varied depending on the skill of the participants but the total time dedicated to each exercise was the same for all group participants.

Timeline

• Start date: 2012-09-01
• Primary completion: 2016-12-01
• Completion: 2016-12-01
• First posted: 2015-10-07
• Last updated: 2017-03-22

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Spain