Table 3 Effects of an eight weeks home-based balance exercise program conducted during tooth brushing on measures of balance and muscle strength in healthy older adults
|  | INT (n = 27) |  | CON (n = 24) |  | p-value (Cohen’s d) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Variables | Pre | Post | Δ [%]* | Pre | Post | Δ [%]* | Time | Group | Group × Time |
Balance | |||||||||
 Romberg-Test (s) | 24.2 (9.2) | 25.2 (9.1) | + 4 | 21.6 (10.7) | 23.3 (10.3) | + 8 | 0.22 (0.36) | 0.38 (0.26) | 0.74 (0.09) |
 Gait speed, ST (m/s) | 1.4 (0.2) | 1.5 (0.2) | + 3 | 1.4 (0.2) | 1.4 (0.1) | -1 | 0.46 (0.21) | 0.41 (0.24) | 0.30 (0.30) |
 Gait speed, DT-CI (m/s) | 1.2 (0.4) | 1.3 (0.3) | + 15 | 1.2 (0.2) | 1.3 (0.2) | + 9 | < 0.001 (1.12) | 0.66 (0.13) | 0.37 (0.26) |
 Gait speed, DT-MI (m/s) | 1.1 (0.3) | 1.4 (0.3) | + 29 | 1.1 (0.2) | 1.3 (0.2) | + 22 | < 0.001 (2.65) | 0.40 (0.24) | 0.21 (0.36) |
 TUG (s) | 8.3 (1.3) | 7.7 (1.2) | + 7 | 8.3 (1.2) | 8.0 (1.3) | + 4 | < 0.001 (1.17) | 0.63 (0.14) | 0.11 (0.47) |
 FRT (cm) | 36.2 (5.3) | 38.2 (4.7) | + 6 | 35.2 (6.6) | 38.8 (5.8) | + 10 | 0.002 (0.92) | 0.90 (< 0.01) | 0.34 (0.28) |
Muscle strength | |||||||||
 Chair rise test (s) | 10.1 (2.8) | 8.2 (2.1) | + 19 | 9.6 (1.7) | 9.0 (1.6) | + 6 | 0.002 (0.94) | 0.77 (0.09) | 0.11 (0.47) |