Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Gerontology. 2017;63(6):590-598. doi: 10.1159/000479085. Epub 2017 Aug 18.
Virtual reality (VR) technology is a relatively new rehabilitation tool that can deliver a combination of cognitive and motor training for fall prevention. The attitudes of older people to such training are currently unclear.
This study aimed to investigate: (1) the attitudes of fall-prone older people towards fall prevention exercise with and without VR; (2) attitudinal changes after intervention with and without VR; and (3) user satisfaction following fall prevention exercise with and without VR.
A total of 281 fall-prone older people were randomly assigned to an experimental group receiving treadmill training augmented by VR (TT+VR, n = 144) or a control group receiving treadmill training alone (TT, n = 137). Two questionnaires were used to measure (1) attitudes towards fall prevention exercise with and without VR (AQ); and (2) user satisfaction (USQ). AQ was evaluated at baseline and after intervention. USQ was measured after intervention only.
The AQ revealed that most participants had positive attitudes towards fall prevention exercise at baseline (82.2%) and after intervention (80.6%; p = 0.144). In contrast, only 53.6% were enthusiastic about fall prevention exercise with VR at baseline. These attitudes positively changed after intervention (83.1%; p < 0.001), and 99.2% indicated that they enjoyed TT+VR. Correlation analyses showed that postintervention attitudes were strongly related to user satisfaction (USQ: r = 0.503; p < 0.001).
Older people's attitudes towards fall prevention exercise with VR were positively influenced by their experience. From the perspective of the user, VR is an attractive training mode, and thus improving service provision for older people is important.
虚拟现实（VR）技术是一种相对较新的康复工具，可提供认知和运动训练相结合的方式来预防跌倒。目前尚不清楚老年人对这种训练的态度。
本研究旨在调查：（1）易跌倒的老年人对有和没有 VR 的跌倒预防运动的态度；（2）有和没有 VR 的干预后的态度变化；以及（3）有和没有 VR 的跌倒预防运动后的用户满意度。
共有 281 名易跌倒的老年人被随机分配到实验组（接受带 VR 的跑步机训练，TT+VR，n = 144）或对照组（仅接受跑步机训练，TT，n = 137）。使用两个问卷来测量（1）有和没有 VR 的跌倒预防运动的态度（AQ）；以及（2）用户满意度（USQ）。AQ 在基线和干预后进行评估。USQ 仅在干预后进行测量。
AQ 显示，大多数参与者在基线时（82.2%）和干预后（80.6%；p = 0.144）对跌倒预防运动持积极态度。相比之下，只有 53.6%的人对有 VR 的跌倒预防运动感到热情。这些态度在干预后积极改变（83.1%；p < 0.001），99.2%的人表示喜欢 TT+VR。相关分析表明，干预后的态度与用户满意度密切相关（USQ：r = 0.503；p < 0.001）。
老年人对有 VR 的跌倒预防运动的态度受到其体验的积极影响。从用户的角度来看，VR 是一种有吸引力的训练模式，因此提高为老年人提供的服务很重要。
