Physical and cognitive-based training in healthy older adults: Evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis

Fatemeh Adelirad ^1,2^* , Zeinab Javadivala ³, Iman Dianat ⁴, Aysan Amrahi Tabieh ⁵, Vijay Kumar Chattu ^6,7

¹ Department of Geriatric Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz 14711, Iran
² Department of Public Health, School of Health, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
³ Department of Health Education and Promotion, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz 14711, Iran
⁴ Department of Occupational Health, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz 14711, Iran
⁵ Department of Geriatric Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz 14711, Iran
⁶ Center for Global Health Research, Saveetha Medical College and Hospital, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Saveetha University, Chennai, India
⁷ Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences (DMIMS), Wardha, India

*Corresponding Author: Fatemeh Adelirad, Email: adeliradf@gmail.com

Abstract

Introduction: Several studies have shown that cognitive training interventions and regular physical activity are popular intervention in dementia prevention guidelines. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of physical and mental training on cognitive outcomes in, older adults.

Methods: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, randomized clinical trials (RCTs) published between 2000 and 6 February 2023 were extracted from several electronic databases, including, ProQuest, PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science.

Results: The meta-analysis included 36 studies. The results indicated that the pooled MD for cognition was 0.49 (95% CI=0.28 to 0.70, I²=79.3%, P=0.0001) and both physical and mental training have a “large to larger” effect on Episode memory (pooled MD: 1.98; 95% CI=1.20 to 2.77, I²=92%, P=0.001). Also, as a result, the trainings had a “small to larger” impact on the executive function of older adults (pooled MD: 0.64; 95% CI=0.26 to 1.02, I2=86.2%, P=0.0001).

Conclusion: Our controversial results indicated that the non-pharmacological physical-mental training improves executive function which that can affect the ability of elders, while did not support the improvement of attention, processing speed, and verbal memory.

Keywords: Aged, Cognition, Exercise, Memory