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A recent study conducted by the University of Eastern Finland in collaboration with Kuopio University Hospital has unveiled effective exercise interventions aimed at reducing falls among elderly women, particularly those undergoing polypharmacy, which refers to the regular use of four or more medications. The findings have been published in Scientific Reports.
The research highlighted a concerning correlation between polypharmacy and reduced performance in physical fitness tests. “Our findings indicate that targeted physical activity initiatives could significantly improve fall prevention among seniors, especially those on multiple medications,” stated Anna-Erika Tamminen, a researcher at the Kuopio Musculoskeletal Research Unit at the University of Eastern Finland.
Toni Rikkonen, the research director, noted that the success of the exercise intervention was closely linked to the participants’ initial fitness levels, remarking, “Those with the poorest physical fitness initially benefitted the most.”
The study involved a secondary analysis of data collected from the Kuopio Fall Prevention Study, a randomized controlled trial that monitored 914 women with a median age of 76.5 years. Participants were randomly assigned into an exercise intervention group and a control group, with both groups undergoing fitness assessments at the start, as well as one and two years into the study. Medication usage was evaluated through a baseline questionnaire, categorizing participants into six segments based on their medication intake. Falls were recorded over approximately two years via biweekly text messages sent to participants.
The exercise intervention comprised guided sessions conducted twice weekly during the first six months, integrating tai chi on one day and circuit training on the other. In the subsequent six months, participants received free access to local recreational sports facilities.
Over the duration of the follow-up period, there were 1,380 reported falls; of these, 739 resulted in injuries, and 63 led to fractures. Notably, women engaging in the exercise intervention who were also using multiple medications exhibited a 29% lower risk of falling compared to those in the control group who were either not on medications or using just one.
Although previous research has established a link between polypharmacy and an increased risk of falls, this study observed no additional falls among those in the control group based on their medication use. Furthermore, no significant relationship was identified between the quantity of medications and the frequency of fractures. The fitness test outcomes favored those using zero to one medications in both the intervention and control groups, while those on multiple medications showed consistently poorer results throughout the study.
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