On-Site PhD conferral Marlot Kruisbrink

Key words: fear of falling, avoidance behavior due to fear of falling, older people, effective interventions

"Towards enhanced management of fear of falling in older people: Unravelling interventions and measuring related avoidance of activity"

Many older adults have fear of falling or are concerned to fall. However, little is known about factors that contribute to effective interventions for this problem. The first part of this thesis identified several characteristics of interventions and intervention participants that potentially influence the effects of interventions. These can be used as inspiration for the optimization of interventions for fear of falling. The second part of this thesis evaluated a measurement instrument for avoidance behavior due to concerns about falling. The Falls Efficacy Scale – International Avoidance Behavior (FES-IAB) was a good instrument to assess avoidance behavior due to concerns about falling in the population under study. Overall, the findings in this thesis contribute towards improved management of fear of falling in older adults.

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