The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences
-
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci · Jan 2005
Falls self-efficacy as a mediator of fear of falling in an exercise intervention for older adults.
This study examined the role of falls self-efficacy as a potential mediator of the exercise and fear-of-falling relationship. The study sample involved 256 community-dwelling older adults aged 70-92 years (M = 77.48, SD = 4.95) who were recruited from a local health care system in Portland, Oregon, and participated in either a Tai Chi (n = 125) or a stretching control (n = 131) exercise intervention, three times per week, for 6 consecutive months. ⋯ Results supported the mediational hypothesis in that Tai Chi participants, who evidenced improvement in falls self-efficacy over the course of the intervention, reported greater reductions in fear of falling, compared with those in the stretching control condition. Results suggest that exercise interventions designed to improve falls self-efficacy are likely to reduce fear of falling in older adults.