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Interactive video gaming compared with health education in older adults with mild cognitive impairment: a feasibility study
Author(s) -
Hughes Tiffany F.,
Flatt Jason D.,
Fu Bo,
Butters Meryl A.,
Chang ChungChou H.,
Ganguli Mary
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
international journal of geriatric psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.28
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1166
pISSN - 0885-6230
DOI - 10.1002/gps.4075
Subject(s) - intervention (counseling) , cognition , randomized controlled trial , neuropsychology , interactive video , psychology , physical therapy , video game , clinical psychology , gerontology , medicine , multimedia , psychiatry , surgery , computer science
Objective We evaluated the feasibility of a trial of Wii interactive video gaming, and its potential efficacy at improving cognitive functioning compared with health education, in a community sample of older adults with neuropsychologically defined mild cognitive impairment. Methods Twenty older adults were equally randomized to either group‐based interactive video gaming or health education for 90 min each week for 24 weeks. Although the primary outcomes were related to study feasibility, we also explored the effect of the intervention on neuropsychological performance and other secondary outcomes. Results All 20 participants completed the intervention, and 18 attended at least 80% of the sessions. The majority (80%) of participants were “very much” satisfied with the intervention. Bowling was enjoyed by the most participants and was also rated the highest among the games for mental, social, and physical stimulation. We observed medium effect sizes for cognitive and physical functioning in favor of the interactive video gaming condition, but these effects were not statistically significant in this small sample. Conclusion Interactive video gaming is feasible for older adults with mild cognitive impairment, and medium effect sizes in favor of the Wii group warrant a larger efficacy trial. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.