Beneficial Effects of Interactive Physical-Cognitive Game-Based Training on Fall Risk and Cognitive Performance of Older Adults

Kochaphan Phirom, Teerawat Kamnardsiri and Somporn Sungkarat
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Kochaphan Phirom: Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
Teerawat Kamnardsiri: Department of Digital Game, College of Arts, Media, and Technology, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
Somporn Sungkarat: Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 17, 1-12

Abstract: Physical and cognitive declines are significant risk factors for falls. Promising evidence suggests that combined physical-cognitive training would be an effective fall risk reduction and cognitive improvement intervention. However, a limited number of studies have been conducted and findings have been inconclusive. This study investigated the effects of interactive physical-cognitive game-based training on the fall risk and cognitive performance of older adults. Forty participants were randomly allocated to the intervention (n = 20) and control (n = 20) groups. Participants in the intervention group performed a 1 h session, 3 times a week for 12 weeks of the interactive physical-cognitive game-based training program. Fall risk (Physiological Profile Assessment, PPA; and Timed Up and Go, TUG) and cognitive outcome (Montreal Cognitive Assessment, MoCA) were assessed at pre- and post-intervention. Thirty-nine participants (mean age = 69.81 ± 3.78 years) completed the study (97.5%). At the end of the trial, participants in the intervention group demonstrated significant improvement in the PPA fall risk score ( p = 0.015), postural sway ( p = 0.005), MoCA score ( p = 0.001), and TUG-dual task ( p = 0.045) compared to controls. In conclusion, the interactive physical-cognitive, game-based training was effective in reducing physiological fall risk and improving cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults.

Keywords: fall risk; cognitive function; combined physical and cognitive training; exergaming; health promotion; preventive medicine (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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