Assessing Older Adults' Readiness for Adopting Fall Prevention Recommendations Using the Transtheoretical Stages of Change.

Reducing fall risk requires older adults (age 65+) to adopt effective prevention strategies. This study has three aims: 1) understand Stage of Change (SOC) for three fall prevention strategies; 2) determine strategies older adults' use; and 3) understand which characteristics relate to readiness to take action. A survey of 1063 older adults assessed fall risk, SOC, and use of fall prevention strategies. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and regression analysis. The most common SOC for older adults by strategy was for overall fall prevention (61%), for medication management (45%), and and for strength/balance (29% each). Believing falls are preventable was most strongly related to being in a stage (e.g., ) for overall fall prevention (Risk Ratio: 1.4, 95% CI: 1.1, 1.7). Health promotion can focus on increasing knowledge of evidence-based fall prevention strategies to encourage older adults to take action.