BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to investigate whether combined cognitive and physical training provides additional benefits to fall prevention when compared with physical training alone in older adults. METHODS: This is a prespecified secondary analysis of a single-blind, randomized controlled trial involving community-dwelling men and women aged 70 to 85 years who did not meet the physical activity guidelines. The participants were randomized into combined physical and cognitive training (PTCT, n = 155) and physical training (PT, n = 159) groups. PT included supervised and home-based physical exercises following the physical activity recommendations. PTCT included PT and computer-based cognitive training. The outcome was the rate of falls over the 12-month intervention (PTCT, n = 151 and PT, n = 155) and 12-month postintervention follow-up (PTCT, n = 143 and PT, n = 148). Falls were ascertained from monthly diaries. Exploratory outcomes included the rate of injurious falls, faller/recurrent faller/fall-related fracture status, and concern about falling. RESULTS: Estimated incidence rates of falls per person-year were 0.8 (95% CI 0.7 to 1.1) in the PTCT and 1.1 (95% CI 0.9 to 1.3) in the PT during the intervention and 0.8 (95% CI 0.7 to 1.0) versus 1.0 (95% CI 0.8 to 1.1), respectively, during the postintervention follow-up. There was no significant difference in the rate of falls during the intervention (incidence rate ratio (IRR) 0.78; 95% CI 0.56 to 1.10, p = 0.152) or in the follow-up (IRR 0.83; 95% CI 0.59 to 1.15, p = 0.263). No significant between-group differences were observed in any exploratory outcomes. CONCLUSION: A yearlong PTCT intervention did not result in a significantly lower rate of falls or concern about falling than PT alone in older community-dwelling adults.
Copyright the Gerontological Society of America. Reproduced by permission of the publisher.

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