Health beliefs and adherence of the elderly to fall prevention measures: a quasi-experimental study

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effect of an educational intervention on health beliefs and adherence of elderly people to fall prevention measures. Methods: This is a quasi-experimental study, carried out at the Senior Citizens’ Center. Sixty-eight elderly completed the intervention. The intervention consisted of four meetings focused on beliefs about falls and prevention, and the evaluation occurred at baseline and 30 days after completion. Results: The elderly were predominantly women (83.82%), with one to four years of schooling (36.76%), with health problems (95.59%), and 48.53% had fallen. There was a significant increase in perceived susceptibility, severity, benefits, barriers, and total health belief score post educational intervention. By adding total to partial adherence, there was a significant increase in the adherence of the elderly to fall prevention measures after the educational intervention. Conclusion: Educational intervention was able to improve the beliefs and adherence of the elderly to fall prevention measures.