Grant: Master's Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Falls cause 85% of injury-related hospitalizations among older adults in Canada [1]. Older women are particularly susceptible to these injuries due to their lower bone density [2]. Falls are related to postural stability and muscle strength, which decline with age [3]. Exercise can slow these declines, yet only 15.7% of women aged 60-79 are physically active [4]. Dance classes can provide an enjoyable and engaging form of exercise for older adults to improve their postural stability and strength [5]; Unfortunately, older adults often face barriers to accessing these classes. We previously explored the use of online dance classes for improving postural stability of older adults and found improvements in anteroposterior sway. Because exercise intensity must be lower during online classes where monitoring is limited, we wish to build on these promising results by using blood flow restriction (BFR) cuffs during our online dance classes. BFR cuffs apply pressure to reduce blood flow into exercising muscles which promotes muscle growth and thereby improves postural stability. BFR is particularly suited to older adults in an online environment because combining BFR with low-intensity exercise, allows for increases in muscle size and strength similar to gains see from high-intensity exercise [7]. Thus, this study aims to assess the effects of 12-weeks of online dance classes with BFR on the postural stability and strength of women aged 65 years and above. It is hoped this innovative program may offer a more accessible, low cost, social and tailored form of exercise for older women. Furthermore, it is expected these classes can help lower fall risk through improvements in muscular size, strength and postural stability.