Thesis
Active involvement: developing an intervention that actively engages older adults in fall prevention message planning
(2015)
Abstract
Falls are a serious public health issue among adults age 65 and older. More than a third of
older adults fall each year (Hausdorff, Rios, & Edelber, 2001). Strength and balance
exercise interventions have been found to reduce the risk of falls (Rand Report, 2003).
Yet, more than 50% of older adults reject fall-related interventions (Campbell et al.,
1997; Robertson, Devlin, Gardner, & Campbell, 2001; Stevens, Holman, Bennett, & de
Klerk, 2001). One possible but untested intervention strategy is to have older adults plan
pro-strength and balance exercise messages for his/her peers. An active involvement
intervention is promising because older adults learn better when activities are perceived
as exciting and lively (Best, 2001; Pearson & Wessman, 1996). Guided by the theory of
active involvement (TAI, Greene, 2013), this study examined components of active
involvement interventions. To identify the key mechanism of change, intervention
components were tested individually, combined, and compared to a standard care group
yielding a total of four versions of an intervention: (1) idea generation, (2) message
planning, (3) idea generation and message planning combined, and (4) standard care.
Seventy-two adults age 65 and older were randomly assigned to one of four versions.
This project measured motivation to process information (perceived novelty, perceived
involvement, perceived gain, and reflectiveness), cognitions (perceived benefits,
perceptions of norms, and readiness for change), behavior (strength and balance exercise-
related stage progression and fall status), and interpersonal communication (talk about
strength and balance exercise and intervention condition) to assess the effects of version
over time (pretest, immediate posttest, and 10 week delayed posttest). The results showed
that the idea generation and message planning combined was more successful than the
idea generation, message planning, and standard care in changing participants’ perceived
benefits, perceptions of norms, and strength and balance exercise-related stage
progression over time. Participants’ frequency of discussion about intervention topic and
activity was greater for idea generation and message planning combined than the idea
generation, message planning, and standard care. Implications from these findings can
guide the development of future fall-prevention messages.
Keywords
- theory of active involvement,
- participatory design,
- self-persuasion,
- fall prevention,
- older-adult health,
- aging
Disciplines
Publication Date
January, 2015
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisor
Kathryn Greene
DOI
http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.7282/T31J9CG5
Citation Information
Danielle Catona and Rutgers University. Graduate School--New Brunswick.. "Active involvement: developing an intervention that actively engages older adults in fall prevention message planning" (2015) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/danielle-catona/12/