Trail‐Walking Exercise and Fall Risk Factors in Community‐Dwelling Older Adults: Preliminary Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effects of a trail‐walking exercise (TWE) program on the rate of falls in community‐dwelling older adults. DESIGN: Pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT). SETTING: This trial was conducted in Japan and involved community‐dwelling older adults as participants. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty participants randomized into a TWE group (n=30) and a walking (W) group (n=30). INTERVENTION: Exercise class combined with multicomponent trail walking program, versus exercise class combined with simple indoor walking program. MEASUREMENT: Measurement was based on the difference in fall rates between the TWE and W groups. RESULTS: Six months after the intervention, the incidence rate ratio (IRR) of falls for the TWE group compared with the W group was 0.20 (95% confidence interval (CI)=0.04–0.91); 12 months after the intervention, the IRR of falls for the TWE group compared with the W group was 0.45 (95% CI=0.16–1.77). CONCLUSION: The results of this pilot RCT suggest that the TWE program was more effective in improving locomotion and cognitive performance under trail‐walking task conditions than walking. In addition, participants who took part in the TWE demonstrated a decrease in the incidence rate of falls 6 months after trial completion. Further confirmation is needed, but this preliminary result may promote a new understanding of accidental falls in older adults.