Table 2 Summary of studies
| Study | Study characteristics | Intervention | Control | Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duque et al. [42] |
n = 70 participants (VR group = 30; control group = 40) Mean age: VR group 79.3 ± 10; control group 75 ± 8 Gender: RV group = 19 (63%) women; control group = 24 (61%) women |
BRUTM (Balance Rehabilitation Unit) Frequency of intervention: 2 times a week during 6 weeks Intensity and timing of intervention: 30 min Volume of therapy: 360 min. | Invitation to join an exercise program based on the Otago protocol, medication review, hearing and visual assessment, and education materials on falls prevention |
Postural assessment (BRU) Gait assessment (Gate rite) Grip strength (hand dynamometer) Serum measurements (serum 25(OH)D3, parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcium, creatinine, and albumin) Depression (Geriatric Depression Scale) Height (digital stadiometer) Nutritional assessment (body mass index and Mini-Nutritional Assessment tool) Fear of falling in the elderly (SAFFE) Adherence |
| Jung et al. [38] |
n = 24 participants (VR group = 8; control group = 8; LSE group = 8) Mean age: VR group = 74.3 ± 2; control group = 73.6 ± 2.4; LSE group = 74.3 ± 3.5 Gender: 100% women |
Nintendo Wii Frequency of intervention: 2 times a week during 8 weeks Intensity and timing of intervention: 30 min. Volume of therapy: 480 min |
Control: no intervention LSE group: lumbar stabilization exercise (LSE) |
Berg Balance Scale (BBS) Functional Reach Test (FRT), Timed Up and Go (TUG) test Crossing velocity (CV) for obstacle gait Maximum vertical heel clearance (MVHC) for obstacle gait |
| Padala et al. [37] |
n = 30 participants (RV group = 15; control group = 15) Mean age: VR group = 67.5 ± 8.1; control group = 69±3.8 Gender: VR group = 2 (13.3%) women; control group = 2 (13.3%) women |
Nintendo Wii Frequency of intervention: 3 days per week for 8 weeks Intensity and timing of intervention: 45 min Volume of therapy: 1080 min. | Cognitive exercises (BrainFitness HAPPYneuron Inc., Lyon, France) |
Berg Balance Scale (BBS) Activities-Specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES) Modified Mini Mental State Exam (3MS) Rand Short Form 36 (SF-36) |
| Jorgensen et al. [36] |
n = 58 participants (RV group = 28; control group = 30) Mean age: VR group = 75.9 ± 5.7; control group = 73.7 ± 6.1 Gender: VR group = 19 (68%) women; control group = 21 (70%) women |
Nintendo Wii Frequency of intervention: 2 days per week for 10 weeks Intensity and timing of intervention: 70 min Volume of therapy: 1400 min | Wear EVA insoles in their shoes everyday for the entire duration of the trial |
Maximal isometric contraction strength (maximal voluntary contraction [MVC]) of the leg extensors Center of pressure velocity moment (CoP-VM; mm2/s) Rapid Force Capacity (contractile RFD) Timed Up and Go (TUG) test Short-form Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I) 30-s repeated chair stand test Training motivation (5-point Likert scale) Adverse events |
| Schwenk et al. [35] |
n = 33 participants (RV group = 17; control group = 16) Mean age: VR group = 84.3 ± 7.3; control group = 84.9 ± 6.6 Gender: VR group = 10 (58.8%) women; control group = 11 (68.8%) women |
Interactive balance training program (serious game) Frequency of intervention: 2 days per week for 4 weeks Intensity and timing of intervention: 45 min Volume of therapy: 360 min. | No intervention |
CoM sway area (BalanSens™) Anterior-posterior (AP, cm) and medial-lateral (ML, cm) CoM sway (BalanSens™) Hip sway (deg2) Ankle sway (deg2) Postural coordination strategy (reduction in CoM sway through coordination of hip and ankle motion) measured by the Reciprocal Compensatory Index (RCI) Alternate step test (AST) Gait Performance (LegSys™) Timed Up and Go test (TUG) User experience |
| Vieira-Gomes et al. [39] |
n = 30 participants (RV group = 15; control group = 15) Mean age: VR group = 83 ± 5.87; control group = 85 ± 6.19 Gender: 2 (15.2%) men; 28 (84.8%) women |
Nintendo Wii Frequency of intervention: 2 days per week for 7 weeks Intensity and timing of intervention: 50 min. Volume of therapy: 700 min | No intervention |
Feasibility (game score) Safety (adverse event) Acceptability (Game Satisfaction Questionnaire) Postural control (Mini-BEST-Test) Gait (Functional Gait Assessment) Cognition (Montreal Cognitive Scale) Quality of life (Short Form 36) Mood (Geriatric Depression Scale) Fear of falling (Falls Efficacy Scale) |
| Rendon et al. [40] |
n = 40 participants (RV group = 20; control group = 20) Mean age: VR group = 85.7 ± 4.3; control group = 83.3 ± 6.2 Gender: 65% women; 35% men |
Nintendo Wii Frequency of intervention: 3 days per week for 6 weeks Intensity and timing of intervention: 35–45 min. Mean of volume of therapy: 720 min. | No intervention |
8-ft up and go (8-ft UG) Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC) Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) |
| Sato et al. [44] |
n = 57 participants (RV group = 29; control group = 28) Mean age: VR group = 70.07 ± 5.35; control group = 68.50 ± 5.47 Gender: VR group = 22 (78.5%) women; 6 (21.4%) men; control group = 21 (80.76%) women, 5 (19.24%) men |
Serious game using Kinect Frequency of intervention: 2 or 3 days per week for 8–12 weeks, total of 24 sessions Intensity and timing of intervention: 40–60 min. Mean of volume of therapy: 1200 min. | Maintain daily lives as usual |
Gait analysis: velocity (m/min), frequency (Hz), cadence (steps/min), stance phase time (s), swing phase time (s), double standing time (s), stride (cm) Minimum foot clearance (cm) Berg Balance Scale (BBS) Functional Reach Test (FRT) 30-s chair-stand test |
| Montero-Alía et al. [41] |
n = 977 participants (RV group = 508; control group = 469) Mean age: VR group = 75.1 (72.6–78.7); control group = 75.4 (72.7–78.6) Gender: VR group = 192 (37.8%) men; 316 (62.2%) women; control group = 208 (44.3%) men, 261 (55.7%) women |
Nintendo Wii Frequency of intervention: 2 days per week for 12 weeks Intensity and timing of intervention: 30 min. Volume of therapy: 720 min. | Usual care systematically asking the population if they exercise |
Tinetti’s balance test Tinetti gait test Total Tinetti score (balance plus gait) Unipedal stance test for 5 s Balance percentage calculated by the Wii balance test from 0 to 100 points Short-FES-I Number of falls during the study period |
| Maillot et al. [5] |
n = 16 participants (RV group = 8; control group = 8) Mean age: VR group = 74.13 ± 4.73; control group = 74 ± 2.14 Gender: 12 (75%) women; 4 (25%) men |
Nintendo Wii Frequency of intervention: twice a week for 12 weeks. Intensity and timing of intervention: 60 min. Volume of therapy: 1440 min. | No intervention |
Senior Fitness Test (SFT) 30-s chair stand test 6-min walking test (6MWT) 8-ft up and go test Short Form 36 (SF-36) Subjective impression of the program |
| Cho et al. [34] |
n = 32 participants (RV group = 17; control group = 15) Mean age: VR group = 73.1 ± 1.1; control group = 71.7 ± 1.2 Gender: Not described |
Nintendo Wii Frequency of intervention: three times a week for 8 weeks. Intensity and timing of intervention: 30 min. Volume of therapy: 720 min. | No intervention |
Center of pressure excursion eyes closed (cm) Center of pressure excursion eyes opened (cm) |
| Vaziri et al. [43] |
n = 153 participants (RV group = 78; control group = 75) Mean age: VR group = 74.71 ± 6.66; control group = 74.65 ± 6.03 Gender: VR group = 43 (55.8%) women and 35 (44.2%); control group = 50 (66.7%) women and 25 (33.3%) men |
iStoppFalls system Frequency of intervention: at least three times a week, 16 weeks Intensity and timing of intervention: 180 min per week. Volume of therapy: 2880 min | Ebooklet about general health and falls |
Balance (anterior, posterior, medial, and lateral sway) Exergame adherence (the time/week participants played the iStoppFalls during the study) Walked distance (the activity level of the intervention group throughout the study) |