The Efficacy of a Multicomponent Functional Fitness Program Based on Exergaming on Cognitive Functioning of Healthy Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Regular physical exercise can attenuate age-related cognitive decline. This study aimed to investigate the effect of a physical exercise multicomponent training based on exergames on cognitive functioning (CF) in older adults. Research Design and Methods: This randomized controlled trial included older adults aged 61–78. Participants were randomly allocated to an intervention group (IG; n = 15) or active control group (CG; n = 16). The IG was exposed to a combined training with traditional exercise and exergaming, twice a week over a period of 12 weeks. The CG performed only traditional sessions. CF was assessed by the Cognitive Telephone Screening Instrument. The time points for assessment were at zero (pretest), 12 (posttest), and 17 weeks (follow-up). Results: Active CG and IG increased from pretest to posttest in short-term memory (STM), long-term memory (LTM), and Cognitive Telephone Screening Instrument total score 1.98 > Z < 3.00, ps < .005, with moderately large positive effects (.36 > r < .54). A significant increase was seen from posttest to follow-up in STM, Z = 2.74, p = .006, and LTM, Z = 2.31, p < .021, only in IG. Across the two time periods posttest to follow-up, there were significant interaction effects between program type and time for STM (p = .022, ) and LTM (p = .004, ), demonstrating a more beneficial effect of the exergames intervention compared to the CG. Discussion and Implications: The integration of exergaming in a multicomponent functional fitness exercise might have the potential to maintain and improve CF (in particular, STM and LTM) in older adults.

Effects of Exergames on Brain and Cognition in Older Adults: A Review Based on a New Categorization of Combined Training Intervention

“…Most of the used exergames involved complex, upper-limb, lower-limb and whole-body movements. In a few studies, games were categorized as a function of the physical/motor capacities they prominently required (i.e., endurance, strength, motor coordination, motor ability, balance control…) (e.g., Maillot et al, 2012 ; Ordnung et al, 2017 ; Bacha et al, 2018 ; Guimarães et al, 2018 ; Gouveia et al, 2021 ; Moreira et al, 2021 ; for an illustration, Peng et al, 2020 ). On the other hand, their cognitive contents were scarcely precisely described (for an exception, Bacha et al, 2018 ).…”

“…The Xbox Kinect console (+ Kinect sensors allowing to control an avatar) was the most frequently used ( Kayama et al, 2014 ; Ordnung et al, 2017 ; Bacha et al, 2018 ; Guimarães et al, 2018 ; Htut et al, 2018 ; Moreira et al, 2021 ), together with the Nintendo Wii package ( Maillot et al, 2012 ) and Dance Dance Revolution ( Chuang et al, 2015 ). Lab-customized exergames were also used in two studies ( Peng et al, 2020 ; Gouveia et al, 2021 ). In Peng et al’s (2020) study, they consisted of a mat allowing participants to perform steps to play a puzzle game, competing against each other to hit each light on the grid to turn it “off” the most quickly, to play a reaction time game with a basketball or performing verbal memory exercises on the circle-type mat for balance and agility training.…”

“…In Peng et al’s (2020) study, they consisted of a mat allowing participants to perform steps to play a puzzle game, competing against each other to hit each light on the grid to turn it “off” the most quickly, to play a reaction time game with a basketball or performing verbal memory exercises on the circle-type mat for balance and agility training. In Gouveia et al’s (2021) study, it consisted of a set of five customized exergames (i.e., “Grape stomping,” “Rabelos,” “Exermusic,” “Toboggan,” “Ride,” and “Exerpong”), each covering the main training domain (e.g., aerobic endurance, upper/lower strength, and motor ability).…”

“…Two studies used a sequential combination of exergaming and conventional standardized training programs (aerobic, muscular, and balance control/motor ability) ( Kayama et al, 2014 ; Gouveia et al, 2021 ). In Kayama et al’s (2014) study, participants of the exergaming group received five additional minutes of training with a dual-task exergame, consisting of solving sudoku, while performing Tai Chi-like full-body movements.…”

“…In Kayama et al’s (2014) study, participants of the exergaming group received five additional minutes of training with a dual-task exergame, consisting of solving sudoku, while performing Tai Chi-like full-body movements. In Gouveia et al’s (2021) study, participants were exposed to an intervention associating conventional multidomain training (one session per week) and exergaming (one session per week), while the participants from the other group practiced two sessions of conventional multidomain training per week. Thus, only eight studies compared a pure exergaming group with one or several other training groups, that is: (i) a passive control group ( Maillot et al, 2012 ; Ordnung et al, 2017 ), (ii) an endurance training group ( Guimarães et al, 2018 ), or (iii) a conventional physical-motor training group ( Bacha et al, 2018 ; Peng et al, 2020 ; Moreira et al, 2021 ).…”