A systematic review to determine the effects of exercise on falls prevention in older people included 44 studies with a total of 9 603 participants. The pooled estimate of effect was a reduction in the rate of falling by 17% (rate ratio [RR] 0.83, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.75 to 0.91; I2=62%). The greatest relative effects of exercise (RR 0.58, 95% CI 0.48 to 0.69) were seen in programs that included a combination of a higher total dose of exercise (>50 hours over the trial period) and challenging balance exercises and did not include a walking program.
Comment: The quality of evidence is downgraded by inconsistency (heterogeneity in interventions and outcomes, variability in results across studies).