# RFA-CE-22-006, Process and Outcome Evaluation of the Walk with Ease program for Fall Prevention

> **NIH ALLCDC U01** · IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $349,385

## Abstract

Summary
 The proposed project will evaluate the effectiveness of incorporating physical therapy exercises (primary
prevention strategy) within an established physical activity intervention called Walk with Ease (WWE) to reduce
incidence and risk of falls in community-dwelling older adults. The proposed study will be done in direct
collaboration with an integrated hospital (Mary Greeley Medical Center - MGMC) and clinical network
(McFarland Clinic). The commitment to collaboration and data sharing are documented in formal letters of
support and this partnership will directly enable and facilitate the proposed research. The physical therapists
will be specifically involved to facilitate broad community-based screens to recruit individuals at high risk for
falls and to conduct robust evaluations of fall risk for all enrolled participants. A randomized controlled design
we will used to systematically test the standard WWE implementation model that provides generic exercise
recommendations against an enhanced version that will provide individually-prescribed, physical therapy
exercises. The factorial design will enable us to also evaluate the relative effectiveness of the standard WWE
behavior change modules against an enhanced set of modules based on theory-based, habit formation
approaches. The primary hypothesis is that the participants receiving the Enhanced WWE program (i.e.
individually prescribed exercises) will have lower incidence of falls and larger reductions in fall risk than those
in the Standard condition (i.e. generic exercises). The secondary hypothesis is that participants receiving
Enhanced behavior change modules (based on habit formation) will have greater compliance to the prescribed
exercise, higher levels of physical activity, and better fall risk reduction outcomes than those in the Standard
modules. Consistent with guidelines in the RFA we will conduct a robust process evaluation (Aim 1) and
outcome evaluation (Aim 2) to provide a comprehensive perspective of the potential utility of WWE as a fall
prevention program. The process data will be used in both summative and formative ways to enhance the
evaluation. The formative evaluation of the process data will enable our team to monitor and adjust program
implementation to ensure alignment with the standardized guidelines for WWE implementation. The refined
procedures could then be incorporated into training materials to build capacity in other community-based
organizations to implement the enhanced WWE for falls prevention. The summative evaluation of the process
data will also be used to help explain differences in program outcomes across individuals, groups or over time.
Thus, the process data will be directly incorporated into the

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10582405
- **Project number:** 1U01CE003490-01
- **Recipient organization:** IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Greg J Welk
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** ALLCDC
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $349,385
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-30 → 2025-09-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10582405

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10582405, RFA-CE-22-006, Process and Outcome Evaluation of the Walk with Ease program for Fall Prevention (1U01CE003490-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10582405. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*