Exergames in Older Adult Community Centers and Nursing Homes to Improve Balance and Minimize the Risk of Falls in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

There is a substantial gap in our knowledge regarding the efficacy of exergames on the reduction of fall risk in older adults. This systematic review analyzes the findings of clinical trials describing the efficacy of exergames to improve balance or reduce the risk of falls in individuals above 60 y...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Healthcare (Basel) 2023-06, Vol.11 (13), p.1872
Main Authors: Leal, José Carlos, Belo, Vinícius Silva, Santos, Ingrid Morselli, Ferreira, Rodrigo Vinícius, de Melo, Saulo Nascimento, da Silva, Eduardo Sérgio
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Aged patients
Bias
Care and treatment
Clinical trials
Collaboration
Community centers
Exercise
Exercise therapy
exergame
Falls
Falls (Accidents)
Family structure
gait function
health benefits
Institutionalization
Intervention
Medical research
Meta-analysis
Nursing home patients
Nursing homes
Older people
older population
physical exercise
Physical fitness
Prevention
Quasi-experimental methods
Review
Risk factors
Systematic review
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Summary:There is a substantial gap in our knowledge regarding the efficacy of exergames on the reduction of fall risk in older adults. This systematic review analyzes the findings of clinical trials describing the efficacy of exergames to improve balance or reduce the risk of falls in individuals above 60 years of age who are residents in community centers or nursing homes. We searched Google Scholar, PubMed, and Embase up to January 2023. Initially, 52,294 records were screened. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 20 studies were included in this systematic review. Meta-analyses revealed statistically significant reductions in the risk of falls and improvements in balance. Exergaming tended to produce positive benefits according to the results obtained using different instruments (TUG, PPA, BBS, and others), control groups, and times of intervention. Nevertheless, a substantial proportion of studies exhibited a high risk of bias and only one had a long follow-up period. Although a large body of evidence supports the view that exergaming is suitable for reducing fall risk and improving balance in older adults, some gaps remain in our knowledge about such benefits.
ISSN:2227-9032
2227-9032
DOI:10.3390/healthcare11131872