Evaluation of the Falls Management Exercise (FaME) programme implemented across three United Kingdom regions: a prospective cohort study

AIMS: The Falls Management Exercise (FaME) programme, delivered over 24 weeks, reduces falls in randomised controlled trials and ‘real world’ delivery, but some services deliver shorter, adapted FaME programmes. We investigated the ‘real-world’ effectiveness of FaME delivered for 12 or 24 weeks across three UK regions. METHODS: Design: prospective cohort study. Participants: 1,601 FaME programme attendees (median age 79.5 years), of whom 873 had follow-up data recorded. Setting: 14 provider organisations in Greater Manchester, Devon and the East Midlands. Procedure: Participant data were collected by FaME providers at baseline and up to 24 weeks later. Outcomes: Timed up-and-go (TUG); Short Falls Efficacy Scale-International (Short FES-I); at least one self-reported fall, and number of self-reported falls, in the past 3 months. Analysis: Univariate before-and-after tests; multivariable multilevel logistic, linear, Poisson, negative binomial regression. RESULTS: At final follow-up (≤24 weeks), compared to baseline, the odds of a self-reported fall within 3 months (Odds ratio 0.16 [95% confidence interval [CI] 0.10 to 0.25], p