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The Effect of Task and Environmental Constraints Manipulation on Balance and Fear of Falling in Elderly Women

Document Type : Research Paper I Open Access I Released under CC BY-NC 4.0 license

Authors

1 Department of Behavior and Psychology in Sports, Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Semnan, Semnan, Iran.

2 Department of Behavior and Psychology in Sports, Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Semnan, Semnan , Iran.

3 Department of Behavior and Psychology in Sports, Faculty of Human Sciences , University of Semnan, Semnan, Iran.

Abstract

Introduction: Variation in the reception of information from depth receptors and environmental information can affect performance. The present study aimed to compare the effect of walking exercises with variable speeds on different surfaces—as task and environmental constraints—on balance and fear of falling.
Methods: The present study was conducted as a pretest-posttest with a control group. A total of 21 elderly women over 60 years old in Semnan were selected through purposive sampling and were randomly assigned to three groups. The fixed-constraint practice group performed walking exercises at a constant speed on a flat and smooth surface, while the variable-constraint exercise group performed balance and strength walking exercises with variable speed on an uneven and slippery surface. Mixed model analysis of variance was used to analyze the data.
Results: The results showed that participants’ improvement due to the effect of the exercises on both balance and fear of falling variables was significant. The results confirmed the different effects of variable balance and strength walking and variable speed exercises on balance (p=0.042); however, no statistically significant difference was observed among the three groups in the variable of fear of falling (p=0.208).
Conclusion: In general, based on the results, walking practice at variable speeds along with manipulation of environmental constraints can be much more effective for improving balance. Accordingly, it is suggested that this type of exercise can be considered as a therapy and rehabilitation activity in centers working with the elderly.

Keywords

References
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Journal of Sports and Motor Development and Learning
Volume 17, Issue 4
December 2025
Pages 75-89
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  • Receive Date: 24 November 2024
  • Revise Date: 12 January 2025
  • Accept Date: 22 January 2025
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