Abstract

The Internet has great potential for use in health promotion to reach large numbers of the population at low cost. Advice can be effectively communicated online, but recent reviews indicate that falls prevention websites are lacking in coverage of the evidence-base, credibility, usability, and use a presentation style that is unlikely to be motivating for an older person. This workshop will engage participants with the evidence on communicating falls prevention advice online and introduce them to the basic tools to create a website. Web based studies will be reviewed in light of the recommendations made by the Prevention of Falls Network Europe on how to promote falls prevention activities. In particular, attention will be paid to the impact of presentation style on older people’s likely uptake of online falls prevention advice. The first speaker’s website that provides tailored advice on taking up strength and balance training will then be presented to stimulate a discussion around the potential for tailoring advice. In conjunction with the above, the workshop will provide a brief overview of web-based technology and introduce participants to the tools needed to set up their own website. Issues such as credibility and usability (easy to use design) for older people will be covered, along with the benefits of Web 2.0 tools and monitoring visitor activity. Discussion of web-based technology will be catered to participants’ experience and so those with little or no experience in creating websites are just as welcome as those experienced with this technology.