Kawabata Masato, Gan Su Ren, Goh Gint, Omar Siti Aisha Binte, Oh Ivan T F, Wee Wan Qi, Okura Tomohiro
Nanyang Technological University, National Institute of Education, 1 Nanyang Walk, 637616, Singapore, Singapore.
School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia.
BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil. 2021 Aug 2;13(1):82. doi: 10.1186/s13102-021-00309-w.
The Square Stepping Exercise (SSE) is an exercise training program incorporating cognitive and physical exercise components, which was originally developed for older adults to reduce falling risks. SSE's potential in delaying cognitive decline in older adults seems to be promising. However, there is scarce research on the SSE program with young adults. Furthermore, the outbreak of coronavirus disease has imposed people to change their lifestyle and behaviors, including exercise behaviors. Hence, the purpose of this study was to examine the acute effects of a home-based online SSE trial on cognitive and social functions in sedentary young adults.
A total of 18 young adults (6 males, 12 females) participated in the present study. They completed two exercise conditions (SSE and active control exercise), consisting of 3 sessions per week, over 2 weeks. A 2 times (pre vs. post) × 2 conditions (SSE vs. active control) repeated-measures ANCOVA was conducted on the score of the Modified Card Sorting Task with age and education year as covariates. A one-way repeated-measures MANOVA was performed on the subscale scores of the Physical Activity Group Environment Questionnaire to examine the effects of the exercise conditions (SSE vs. active control) on group cohesion.
SSE was found effective to improve executive function such as abstract reasoning, mental flexibility, and problem-solving skills. Furthermore, participants' perceptions of social interaction with their group, and closeness and bonding existing in their group were significantly higher in the SSE condition than the active control condition.
In the present study, SSE was conducted online and found to be effective to enhance executive function and group cohesion in sedentary young adults. These novel approach and findings are the strengths of the present study. People aged 60 years and over are more vulnerable to the coronavirus and at higher risk of developing serious illness. Given the coronavirus pandemic circumstances, it is worthwhile to explore the possibility of the online SSE approach to older adults in future research.
方形阶梯训练（SSE）是一种融合认知和体育锻炼成分的训练项目，最初是为老年人开发以降低跌倒风险。SSE在延缓老年人认知衰退方面的潜力似乎很有前景。然而，针对年轻人的SSE项目研究较少。此外，冠状病毒病的爆发迫使人们改变生活方式和行为，包括锻炼行为。因此，本研究的目的是探讨居家在线SSE试验对久坐不动的年轻人认知和社交功能的急性影响。
共有18名年轻人（6名男性，12名女性）参与本研究。他们在2周内完成了两种锻炼条件（SSE和主动对照锻炼），每周3次。以年龄和受教育年限为协变量，对改良卡片分类任务的得分进行2次（前测与后测）×2条件（SSE与主动对照）重复测量协方差分析。对体育活动群体环境问卷的子量表得分进行单因素重复测量多元方差分析，以检验锻炼条件（SSE与主动对照）对群体凝聚力的影响。
发现SSE能有效改善执行功能，如抽象推理、心理灵活性和解决问题的能力。此外，与主动对照条件相比，SSE条件下参与者对与群体的社交互动以及群体中存在的亲密感和联系感的感知显著更高。
在本研究中，SSE以在线方式进行，发现对增强久坐不动的年轻人的执行功能和群体凝聚力有效。这些新颖的方法和发现是本研究的优势。60岁及以上的人更容易感染冠状病毒，患重病的风险更高。鉴于冠状病毒大流行的情况，在未来研究中探索将在线SSE方法应用于老年人的可能性是值得的。
