More than 1 in 4 people 65 and older fall each year, leading to more than $50 billion in annual spending for
treatment. This cost is on an upward trajectory. We have less understanding of the impact of falls and risk in
the Spanish-speaking Hispanic/Latino population. Although a variety of community-based public health
programs are addressing fall prevention, these programs are in English and are not effectively translated and
delivered to culturally diverse communities. The Hispanic American population age 65 and over was 4 million
in 2016 and is projected to grow to 19.9 million by 2060 or 21% of that total age group. Elderly Hispanics in this
specific population frequently fall and are worried about falling. Exercise programs can reduce fall risk for older
adults by improving muscle strength, balance, and gait instabilities. Fall prevention programs are encouraged
by the CDC, NIA, and many other organizations, and are often provided by community-based organizations
and other institutions. Barriers to offering Spanish speaking exercise programs include difficulty in finding
qualified instructors who speak Spanish and many age 60 and over are typically unaware of proper exercise
regimens. KINIMA Seniors in Spanish aims to reduce fall risk in the Hispanic population through the use of its
novel mobile assistive technology for fall prevention. KINIMA Inc., is a women-owned company incorporated in
2016 and incubated in both University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Venture Initiative Program and Stanford
University’s StartX and commercially offered. KINIMA Seniors in Spanish is a ground-breaking, novel
technology that uses computer vision with no on-body sensors, an innovative side-by-side view through
augmented reality guidance with proprietary content, body joint tracking and artificial intelligence, plus multiple
forms of feedback to provide a digital 2-way comprehensive fall prevention exercise platform. The proposed
Phase I study seeks to determine the KINIMA Seniors in Spanish mobile phone motion tracking platform’s
feasibility, acceptability, and accuracy to support fall prevention in Hispanic/Latino settings. To that end, project
AIMS are: 1) Evaluate KINIMA Seniors in Spanish acceptability, engagement and capability for subjects to
complete sessions with little or no intervention by human staff; 2) determine specific forms of content and
features that best promote the desired physical movement among the targeted populations; and 3) determine
the effectiveness of the KINIMA Seniors in Spanish technology for automated tracking of participant
movement. The KINIMA automated assessments will be compared against tracking by a human, which is the
approach taken by most clinicians today to assess fall risk. These AIMS support the mission and research
priorities of reducing falls and fall risk among Spanish-speaking seniors. This Phase I study is a major
milestone and allows the project study group to assess user acceptability of the features and effectiveness of
the automated measures. Phase II will determine the efficacy of the platform in improving fall risk outcomes
through measuring progress over time.
