Badin Léa, Alibran Émilie, Pothier Kristell, Bailly Nathalie
University of Tours, EA 2114 PAVEA Laboratory, Tours, France.
Int J Nurs Sci. 2022 Sep 20;9(4):542-552. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnss.2022.09.008. eCollection 2022 Oct.
Equine-assisted interventions (EAI) can improve a variety of health problems in older adults and thus promote their well-being. This systematic review aimed to synthesize studies on EAI to understand better their effects on the health of older adults.
A systematic search guided by the PRISMA 2020 approach was performed on specific databases: Medline (PubMed), EMBASE, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Library. Peer-reviewed articles published in the English language from inception to June 2022 were retrieved. Methodological quality was established using the modified version of the Downs and Black checklist.
A total of 244 studies were retrieved, and 13 eligible studies were finally included. Three health domains were investigated: physical (balance, gait, and muscular strength), psychological (quality of life and cognitive assessment), and physiological (hormonal measures, cerebral and muscular activity). Among the eight studies investigating the physical dimension, four studies highlighted a positive effect of EAI on balance, four for gait, and three for strength. Regarding the three studies investigating the psychological dimension, two studies showed a positive effect of EAI on quality of life. Lastly, the four studies investigating the physiological dimensions all demonstrated a positive effect of EAI on hormonal measures and cerebral and muscular activity.
Nevertheless, this systematic review provides promising findings regarding the positive effects of EAI on physical, psychological, and physiological health in older adults. Research on EAI should therefore be pursued rigorously to promote this non-pharmacological intervention in an older adult population.
马辅助干预（EAI）可以改善老年人的多种健康问题，从而促进他们的幸福感。本系统评价旨在综合关于EAI的研究，以更好地了解其对老年人健康的影响。
采用PRISMA 2020方法指导，在特定数据库进行系统检索：医学文献数据库（PubMed）、EMBASE、心理学文摘数据库（PsycINFO）和考克兰图书馆。检索从开始到2022年6月以英文发表的同行评审文章。使用唐斯和布莱克检查表的修改版确定方法学质量。
共检索到244项研究，最终纳入13项符合条件的研究。研究了三个健康领域：身体（平衡、步态和肌肉力量）、心理（生活质量和认知评估）和生理（激素测量、大脑和肌肉活动）。在八项研究身体维度的研究中，四项研究强调EAI对平衡有积极影响，四项对步态有积极影响，三项对力量有积极影响。关于三项研究心理维度的研究，两项研究表明EAI对生活质量有积极影响。最后，四项研究生理维度的研究均表明EAI对激素测量、大脑和肌肉活动有积极影响。
尽管如此，本系统评价提供了关于EAI对老年人身体、心理和生理健康有积极影响的有前景结果。因此，应严格开展关于EAI的研究，以促进在老年人群中推广这种非药物干预。
