St. Cloud State University is partnering with CentraCare to investigate the relationship between body composition and fall risk in older adults in central Minnesota.
Dr. Kyle Reason, an assistant professor of exercise science at SCSU, hopes to test 200 individuals to help create a new statistical model to predict falls.
Participants would come to the lab, located in Halenbeck Hall on SCSU’s campus, to go through a series of advanced body composition, balance and fitness testing before being provided a free analysis of their results.
“About one in four adults fall each year, but only a third of those individuals tell someone; it affects all families,” Reason said, who is a primary investigator (PI) on the study. “I want us to have an impact on the community, and one way is by looking at fall risk. We can provide a key resource and educational opportunity for the St. Cloud community.”
St. Cloud State University’s Human Performance Lab (HPL) received two Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research (CHOPR) grants totaling $100K to buy state-of-the-art equipment to help conduct the study.
Dr. George Morris with CentraCare M Physicians Orthopedics is serving as the co-PI with Reason. Last year, the emergency room at CentraCare – St. Cloud Hospital treated nearly one patient per day for serious fall-related injuries, creating further desire to research and implement preventative measures.
“Falls with fractures in our elderly patients can change the life path of many of our community members,” said Dr. Morris, Medical Director of Sports Medicine. “Hip fractures are particularly burdensome as they often require care in a hospital or skilled nursing facility and significantly impact a person’s independence.”
Dr. Morris adds that doing this research will help identify the risks and educate providers and communities on how to prevent them.
“We want to give our clinicians a new equation that allows for an intervention before an individual falls,” Reason said. “Two students will be helping with a large part of the data collection. Giving two undergraduate students research opportunities is a critical application of their learning.”
Select individuals will also have the chance to participate in a free 10-week fall prevention program at the Whitney Senior Center beginning in February, led by the research team.
If you are age 60 or older and interested in participating in the study, email [email protected] or call 320-308-4798.
