Effectiveness and sustainability of a motor-cognitive stepping exergame training on stepping performance in older adults: a randomized controlled trial

European Review of Aging and Physical Activity

Elena Litz¹  Michaela Günther-Lange¹  Klaus Hauer¹  Caroline Ball¹  Christian Werner²  Eling D. de Bruin³ 

[1] AGAPLESION Bethanien Hospital, Geriatric Center of Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany;AGAPLESION Bethanien Hospital, Geriatric Center of Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany;Center of Geriatric Medicine, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany;Institute of Human Movement Sciences and Sport, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zürich, HCP H 25.1, Leopold-Ruzicka-Weg 4, 8093, Zurich, Switzerland;Division of Physiotherapy, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden;

关键词: Older adults;    Exergame;    Balance;    Volitional stepping;    Fall prevention;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s11556-020-00248-4

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundTraining effects reported for stepping exergames on stepping performances in older adults often based on not comprehensively validated outcomes measures, and follow-up data on their sustainability are lacking. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and sustainability of a motor-cognitive stepping exergame training on the stepping performance in older adults.MethodsFifty-eight older adults (78.3 ± 6.5 years) participated in the randomized controlled trial with a 10-week intervention and 10-week follow-up period. The intervention group (IG: n = 29) took part in a once-weekly exercise program including strength and balance exercises supplemented with an additional stepping exergame training. The control group (CG: n = 29) only performed the strength and balance exercises. Outcome measures included stepping reaction times (SRTs) and games scores for individual stepping exergame levels and for the overall exergame performance, as measured by an assessment strategy previously validated in older adults.ResultsSRTs and/or games scores for 7 out of 10 levels and the overall exergame performance significantly improved in the IG compared to the CG during the intervention (p ≤ 0.001–0.039, ηp2 = 0.090–0.445). Training gains were sustained for 2 levels and for the overall exergame performance (p = 0.017–0.033, ηp2 = 0.127–0.193).ConclusionThe study demonstrates that the additional stepping exergame training effectively and sustainably improves the performance in complex motor-cognitive stepping exergame tasks in older adults, which can be relevant for preventing falls. Future research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of such training on reducing the number of falls.Trial registrationISRCTN registry, ISRCTN14855620, 06/06/2019 (retrospectively registered).

【 授权许可】

CC BY