Development of a Fall Prevention Model for Thai Older Adults Through Community Participation

Falls among Thai older adults are a significant public health concern requiring collaboration between government institutions, community organizations, and stakeholders. A holistic community‐driven approach to address gaps in coordination and implementation of fall prevention strategies is needed. Therefore, the aim of the study was to develop and evaluate a fall prevention model for older adults in Thailand, leadership by nursing with a participatory action research design. The study consisted of three phases: preparation, model development, and model evaluation, to design a fall prevention model using a mixed‐methods approach. The key activities included leadership training, brainstorming to develop a fall prevention model, and conducting multicampaigns over 12 months with village health volunteers, community nurses, and community leaders. A 16‐week program trial involving 30 high‐risk older adults employed a quasiexperimental one‐group pretest–posttest design. After 1 year, the model was evaluated in a lessons‐learned forum with stakeholders, participants, and experts. Quantitative data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, and paired t ‐tests, while qualitative data were subjected to thematic analysis. The fall prevention program significantly enhanced participants’ strength, balance, and fall prevention behaviors. Lessons learned emphasized the importance of community engagement and recommended the integration of fall prevention into long‐term elderly care systems. Leadership training improved community awareness, capacity, and cooperation in fall prevention. Stakeholders and community members expressed high satisfaction with fall prevention campaigns. This study highlights the feasibility of implementing a community‐based fall prevention model through community participation. It underscores the importance of cross‐sector collaboration for sustainable fall prevention.