Keywords
falls, falls prevention, health literacy, teach-back and show-back, intervention
Document Type
Research Briefs
Abstract
Background: Although falls are preventable, falls among older adults remain a public health concern. Research indicates that over one-third of persons over 65 fall. Approximately 3 million report to emergency rooms due to falls annually. Falls are attributed to health conditions such as cognitive impairment, poor eyesight, arthritis, and polypharmacy.
Purpose: This study adapted the Teach-Back/Show-Back method for older persons in adult daycare and faith-based settings to assess their understanding of falls prevention techniques. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the risk factors, prevention strategies, and policy recommendations of falls prevention among older adults.
Methods: A survey was administered to community-dwelling older adults in different settings. The survey assessed participants’ perception of falls prevention strategies. Teach-Back/Show-Back method was implemented for training purposes and to evaluate participants’ understanding of prevention strategies.
Results: Prior to the intervention approximately 30% of the participants were cognizant of some risk factors, health conditions, and preventative strategies related to falls. After the training, all participants identified more preventative strategies to reduce falls.
Conclusion: The Teach-Back/Show-Back method is a beneficial intervention for optimizing the aging populations’ health outcomes related to falls prevention. Policies are recommended to implement falls prevention training.
Recommended Citation
Barner, Y. M.,
Vaughan-Robinson, L.,
&
Adjei, J.
(2024). Implementing Policy to Increase Health Literacy in Falls Prevention: A Teach-Back and Show-Back Intervention.
Journal of Public Health in the Deep South, 4(1), 6.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55533/2996-6833.1079