Effects of a Game-Centered Health Promotion Program on Fall Risk, Health Knowledge, and Quality of Life in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Quality of life (QOL) is an important aspect of overall well-being in older adults and can be improved with increased physical activity. One in four older adults experiences a fall each year, making it necessary to focus public health interventions towards decreasing fall risk and improving QOL in older adults. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of the health promotion program, Bingocize®, on QOL and fall risk in community-dwelling older adults (n = 36; mean age 73.63 ± 6.97). Participants were clustered and randomly assigned to (a) experimental (n = 19; participating in Bingocize® program, or (b) control (n = 17; only played normal bingo). Each group completed a 12-week intervention that consisted of two 45–60 minute sessions per week. There were no significant interactions for any of the variables, with the exception of positive affect (PA) (F (1,34) = 5.66, p = 0.02, ηp2=0.15, power = 0.64) and handgrip strength (F (1,34) = 8.31, p = 0.007, ηp2=0.196, power = 0.80). There was also a significant main effect for time for health knowledge. Participating in the Bingocize® health promotion program can produce a meaningful and detectable change in handgrip strength and PA in community-dwelling older adults.