Association of Elderly Exercise Participation, Home Exercise Adherence, and Balance in Older Adults

Abstract

Background: Ageing is associated with progressive declines in musculoskeletal, neurological, and sensory function, leading to impaired balance and an increased risk of falls. Participation in community-based elderly exercise programmes and adherence to prescribed home exercise may help maintain functional balance; however, evidence examining both factors simultaneously remains limited. 
Objective: To determine the association between participation in elderly exercise programmes, home exercise adherence, and body balance among community dwelling older adults.
Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study included 30 community dwelling older adults recruited by purposive sampling from the Trisna Asih Integrated Health Post, Semarang, Indonesia. Participation in elderly exercise programmes and home exercise adherence were assessed using a modified Exercise Adherence Rating Scale, while balance was evaluated using the Berg Balance Scale. Spearman's rank correlation was applied because the variables were not normally distributed. Confidence intervals were unavailable in the original dataset. 
Results: High participation in elderly exercise programmes was observed in 17 participants (56.7%), and 15 (50.0%) demonstrated high home exercise adherence. Eighteen participants (60.0%) were classified as having a low risk of falls. Elderly exercise participation was strongly associated with body balance (r = 0.915, p < 0.001), as was home exercise adherence (r = 0.883, p < 0.001). 
Conclusion: Greater participation in elderly exercise programmes and higher adherence to home exercise were significantly associated with better balance among older adults. Integrating supervised community exercise with regular home exercise may support fall prevention and maintenance of functional independence.