Effects of Physical Activity Programs on the Improvement of Dementia Symptom: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Objective. To confirm that physical activity program improves the symptoms of dementia and the most effective physical activity was selected to help establish exercise programs. Methods. Three databases, PubMed, Science Direct, and Willey online, were used to collect articles. The databases were published between January 2005 and December 2015. Keywords such as “dementia,” and “physical activity” were used in searching for papers. As a result, nine studies were selected in the second screening of the meta-analyses. Results. The improvement in the dementia symptom of physical capacity was 1.05 (high effect size, 95% CI: 0.03 to 0.73), ability of activity of daily living was 0.73 (slightly high effect size, 95% CI: 0.23 to 1.23), cognitive function was 0.46 (medium effect size, 95% CI: 0.26 to 0.66), and psychological state was 0.39 (lower than the medium effect size, 95% CI: 0.01 to 0.77). Conclusion. The physical activity for patients with dementia had an effect on the improvement of physical capacity and combined exercise was the most effective physical activity.

Effects of Physical Activity in Nursing Home Residents with Dementia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…We did not find any benefits of our multicomponent exercise intervention on other physical functions, cognitive functions, mood, or behavior. These results contradict recent meta-analyses, where multicomponent exercise improved physical functions [32][33][34][35][36][37] and cognitive functions [12,40], and reduced depression and agitation [1,32]. The lack of effect of exercise could be the result of the moderate treatment adherence (55%) compared to similar studies (> 75%) [48,51,101].…”

“…Possible explanations for the negative results are the small nonrandomized designs [26], or insufficient intensity, frequency (e.g., 15 min per day/6 days per week) [30], or duration of interventions (majority < 6 months) [26,27]. With regard to the second method, exercise training, multiple studies report benefits on physical performance [32][33][34][35][36][37], cognitive functions [12,[38][39][40][41][42][43][44], mood, and behavioral problems [1,2,9,32] in elderly subjects with dementia. Nonetheless, other studies report no benefits of exercise on these outcomes [21,34,35,[43][44][45][46][47][48][49].…”

Predictive factors for dementia and cognitive impairment among residents living in the veterans’ retirement communities in Taiwan: Implications for cognitive health promotion activities

“…Low physical function has been shown to be an important risk factor for dementia and cognitive impairment . Recent meta‐analyses of randomized controlled interventional studies also reported the beneficial effect of physical activity on preventing cognitive decline, dementia incidence and even the neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia . Physical activity programs including aerobic exercise were more effective in preventing cognitive decline than other types of exercises, and the protective effect was independent of the subtypes of dementia .…”

“…8,9 Recent meta-analyses of randomized controlled interventional studies also reported the beneficial effect of physical activity on preventing cognitive decline, dementia incidence and even the neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia. 23,24 Physical activity programs including aerobic exercise were more effective in preventing cognitive decline than other types of exercises, and the protective effect was independent of the subtypes of dementia. 23,24 Enhancement in brain vitality through changes in the neuroendocrine microenvironment could be the potential mechanism for cognitive improvement from animal studies.…”

“…23,24 Physical activity programs including aerobic exercise were more effective in preventing cognitive decline than other types of exercises, and the protective effect was independent of the subtypes of dementia. 23,24 Enhancement in brain vitality through changes in the neuroendocrine microenvironment could be the potential mechanism for cognitive improvement from animal studies. 23,24 Other than physical activity, nutritional status also showed a strong protective effect against dementia and cognitive decline.…”