Predictors of Adherence to a Multifaceted Podiatry Intervention for the Prevention of Falls in Older People
By Spink, Martin J.; Fotoohabadi, Mohammad; Wee, Elin; Landorf, Karl B.; Hill, Keith D.; Lord, Stephen R.; Menz, Hylton B.; BMC Geriatrics, Volume 11, Number 51Publication Date: August 26, 2011
Study evaluated adherence rates, barriers to adherence, and the predictors of adherence to a multifaceted podiatry intervention for the prevention of falls in older people. The study used three main interventions: (1) foot orthoses (2) footwear advice and footwear cost subsidy, and (3) home based foot and ankle exercises. Formthotics were issued to each participant who was not already wearing orthoses. The Formthotics used were prefabricated, full length, dual density orthoses made from a thermoformable cross linked closed cell polyethylene foam with a firm density base and a soft density top cover. The orthoses were heat molded to each participant’s foot shape. Participants, 106 women and 47 men with a mean age of 74 years, comprised the intervention group of a larger randomized trial. Adherence to each of the 3 components of the intervention and the barriers to adherence were documented, and separate discriminant function analyses were undertaken to identify factors that were significantly and independently associated with adherence to the intervention components. Results revealed adherence to foot orthoses to be 69 percent, to footwear 54 percent, and to home based exercise 72 percent of the 153 participants. Discriminant function analyses identified that being younger was the best predictor of orthosis use, higher physical health status and lower fear of falling were independent predictors of footwear adherence, and higher physical health status was the best predictor of exercise adherence. The predictive accuracy of these models was only modest, with 62 to 71 percent of participants correctly classified.
Published by: BioMed Central Ltd (Website:http://www.biomedcentral.com)
Link to text: http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1471-2318-11-51.pdf
