Hauer Klaus, Litz Elena, Günther-Lange Michaela, Ball Caroline, de Bruin Eling D, Werner Christian
AGAPLESION Bethanien Hospital, Geriatric Center of 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.
Eur Rev Aging Phys Act. 2020 Sep 29;17:17. doi: 10.1186/s11556-020-00248-4. eCollection 2020.
Training 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.
Fifty-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: = 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: = 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.
SRTs 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 ( ≤ 0.001-0.039, = 0.090-0.445). Training gains were sustained for 2 levels and for the overall exergame performance ( = 0.017-0.033, = 0.127-0.193).
The 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.
ISRCTN registry, ISRCTN14855620, 06/06/2019 (retrospectively registered).
关于老年人在踏步类运动游戏中进行训练对其踏步表现的影响，此前的报道往往基于未全面验证的结果指标，且缺乏关于其可持续性的随访数据。本研究的目的是评估一种运动认知踏步类运动游戏训练对老年人踏步表现的有效性和可持续性。
58名老年人（78.3±6.5岁）参与了这项随机对照试验，试验包括为期10周的干预期和10周的随访期。干预组（IG：n = 29）参加了每周一次的锻炼计划，包括力量和平衡练习，并辅以额外的踏步类运动游戏训练。对照组（CG：n = 29）仅进行力量和平衡练习。结果指标包括踏步反应时间（SRTs）以及针对各个踏步类运动游戏关卡和整体运动游戏表现的游戏得分，这些指标通过先前在老年人中验证过的评估策略进行测量。
与对照组相比，干预期间干预组10个关卡中的7个关卡的SRTs和/或游戏得分以及整体运动游戏表现有显著改善（P≤0.001 - 0.039，d = 0.090 - 0.445）。训练成果在2个关卡和整体运动游戏表现方面得以维持（P = 0.017 - 0.033，d = 0.127 - 0.193）。
该研究表明，额外的踏步类运动游戏训练能有效且可持续地改善老年人在复杂运动认知踏步类运动游戏任务中的表现，这可能与预防跌倒相关。未来需要进一步研究评估此类训练对减少跌倒次数的有效性。
ISRCTN注册库，ISRCTN14855620，2019年6月6日（追溯注册）
