International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research

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Effectiveness Of Home-Based OTAGO Exercise Programme VS Traditional Exercises On Balance And Fall Risk Among Elderly Adults

Author(s) Ms. Vaishnavi Anil Gullapelli, Dr. Aishwarya Kanhere
Country India
Abstract Background: Falls are a major geriatric health problem, with approximately 28–35% of community-dwelling adults aged 65 years and above falling each year, rising to 32–42% above the age of 70. Lower-limb muscle weakness and impaired postural control are among the most important intrinsic risk factors for falls in older adults. The Otago Exercise Programme (OEP) is a well-established, evidence-based, home-based exercise program for fall prevention, but comparative evidence against generalized traditional exercise approaches remains limited, particularly in the Indian elderly population.
Objectives: To compare the effectiveness of a Home-Based Otago Exercise Programme versus Traditional Exercises on balance, fear of falling, and lower-limb functional performance among elderly adults.
Methods: An experimental comparative study was conducted among 40 elderly adults aged 65–75 years, recruited from old-age homes and physiotherapy OPDs in and around Pune city, and randomly allocated to two groups of 20 each — Group A (Home-Based Otago Exercise Programme) and Group B (Traditional Exercises). Both groups performed their respective programs for 4 weeks (3 sessions per week, 30–45 minutes per session). Balance, fear of falling and lower-limb functional strength were assessed using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Falls Efficacy Scale (FES) and 30-second Chair to Stand (CTS) Test, respectively, before and after intervention. As change scores were not normally distributed (Shapiro–Wilk, p<0.05), the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test was used for within-group comparison and the Mann-Whitney U test for between-group comparison.
Results: Both groups showed statistically significant within-group improvement on all three outcomes (all p<0.001). Mean BBS improved by 5.10 points in the Otago group (42.20 to 47.30) versus 3.90 points in the Traditional group (44.35 to 48.25); mean FES fell by 4.70 points in the Otago group (44.15 to 39.55) versus 3.80 points in the Traditional group (46.65 to 42.85), indicating reduced fear of falling in both groups; and mean CTS improved by 3.40 repetitions in the Otago group (11.30 to 14.70) versus 3.25 repetitions in the Traditional group (10.00 to 13.25). Between-group comparison of change scores favoured the Otago group for BBS (Mann-Whitney U, p=0.0009, Cohen's d=1.28, large effect) and FES (p=0.019, d=0.93, large effect), while the CTS change did not differ significantly between groups (p=0.522, d=0.23, small effect).
Conclusion: Both Home-Based Otago Exercises and Traditional Exercises significantly improve balance, fear of falling and lower-limb functional performance in elderly adults over a 4-week period. However, the Home-Based Otago Exercise Programme produces significantly greater improvement in balance and fear of falling than Traditional Exercises, while both are equally effective for lower-limb functional strength in the short term, supporting Otago as a low-cost, accessible, and effective fall-prevention intervention.
Keywords Keywords: Elderly Adults, Falls, Otago Exercise Programme, Traditional Exercises, Balance, Berg Balance Scale, Falls Efficacy Scale, Chair to Stand Test
Field Medical / Pharmacy
Published In Volume 8, Issue 5, September-October 2026
Published On 2026-10-06
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CrossRef DOI prefix of IJFMR is 10.36948/ijfmr

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