AGen2023 Virtual Poster Presentations

Further analysis after completion of data collection is needed to investigate such potential differences and their contribution to the risk of falling.

68947 | The Efficacy of a Simplified Pilates Exercise Training in Reducing the Risk of Falling in Hong Kong’s Older Adults: An Interim Analysis

Wai Lung Thomson Wong, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, China

Toby C. T. Mak, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, China

Candy W. Y. Chan, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, China

Polly P. Y. Chan, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, China

Shamay S. M. Ng, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, China

One major cause of health concerns in older adults is the rapid increase of fall incidents. Previous literature suggested that physical exercise is one of the most effective interventional strategies to reduce the risk of falling in older adults. This study examines the efficacy of the simplified Pilates exercise programme developed by a group of Pilates and rehabilitation experts in Hong Kong to reduce the risk of falling of Hong Kong’s older adults who might be prone to falling through a wait-list randomised controlled trial. Thirty-eight older adults (mean age=74.8±5.9) were included in this interim analysis, and they were randomly assigned to either the simplified Pilates exercise group (SPEG; n=11) or the wait-list control group (WLCG; n=27). Participants in the SPEG participated in group exercise sessions (about 60 minutes each) twice a week for 12 weeks. Two assessment sessions before training at baseline (T0) and just after the completion of all the exercise sessions (T1) were completed. The primary outcome measure of the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) was evaluated in this interim analysis. A 2 x 2 Group (SPEG, WLCG) x Time (T0, T1) mixed Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) for the primary outcome measure was conducted. There is a main effect of Group x Time interaction (F(1,36)=11.298, p=0.002, ηp2=0.239). The SPEG improved their BBS scores significantly more than the WLCG from T0 to T1. This result suggests that the simplified Pilates exercise programme could reduce the risk of falling in older adults at risk of falling.

Lifespan Health Promotion

67502 | Identifying Needs for Ankle-Foot-Orthosis and Orthosis Provision Services Through Interview Analysis of Japanese Stroke Patients

Kento Sato, Hokkaido University of Science and Chitose Institute of Science and Technology, Japan

Daiji Kobayashi, Chitose Institute of Science and Technology, Japan

There are about 1.12 million stroke patients in Japan, accounting for about 15% of the causes of elderly people aged 65 and over becoming eligible for long-term care. Patients who have suffered lower limb disabilities due to stroke often use ankle-foot-orthosis as a tool for daily living, and it has been reported that they improve balance and walking ability. On the other hand, some people drop out of using ankle-foot-orthosis, and some suffer secondary disabilities such as foot deformities as a result. Therefore, it is important to understand the needs of users, but there are few such reports in Japan, and even if there were, the evaluation factors are determined by experts and may not reflect other factors that users think should be evaluated. The purpose of this study was to interview users of ankle-foot-orthosis for stroke patients to investigate their needs and difficulties with the orthosis and orthosis provision services. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the users, and their thoughts were extracted by analyzing them with SCAT (Steps for Coding and Theorization). As a result, we were able to extract the benefits that stroke patients hope to gain by wearing ankle-foot-orthosis, areas where they would like to see improvements such as the structure of the orthosis, and concerns that they have while using the ankle-foot-orthosis. These are presented as elements that should be noted and improved when providing ankle-foot-orthosis.

General Psychology

69216 | The Influence of Speed and Effort on the Moral Judgment of Cognitive Enhancement

Prarthana Suresh, FLAME University, India

Abhishek Sahai, FLAME University, India acerp.iafor.org/acerp2023-virtual-presentations

Previous research suggests that pharmacological cognitive enhancement (PCE) is viewed negatively due to perceived medical uncertainty, coercion, and unfairness and hollowness of the outcome. With the increasing advancement in and use of technology, along with a shift towards machines and gadgets, there seems to exist a need for humans to improve their mental functioning in order to keep up with the developing changes. The ""unfairness-undeservingness"" model suggests that the achievements (outcome) gained due to PCEs are considered unfair and therefore morally unacceptable. However, the influence of certain factors such as the speed of effect of a drug (slow/fast) and the amount of effort put in (more/ less), on the moral judgment of an outcome, remains unexplored. The purpose of this study is to understand the effect of such factors. For example; how will people judge a drug X that improves attention overnight as compared to a drug Y that takes a month to improve attention? Second, even if a PCE improves attention, that alone will not be enough to produce desirable results (one has to read enough books to gain more marks). We hypothesise that slow/fast (speed of drug) and more/less (effort) will lead to fair/unfair moral judgment of the outcome. This research will help in the fundamental understanding of why people judge the outcomes of a user of PCE as unfair, and how that is modulated by speed of drug (slow/ fast) and effort (more/less) required to achieve the desired outcome.