Siette Joyce, Chong Victoria, Samtani Suraj, Harris Celia B, Steiner-Lim Genevieve Z, MacMillan Freya
The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, New South Wales, 2751, Australia.
Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA), Discipline of Psychiatry & Mental Health, School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia.
BMC Public Health. 2025 Mar 27;25(1):1158. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-22229-x.
Limited social networks in older adults are linked with increased dementia risk. However, there is a lack of knowledge on whether socially-based behavioural interventions (i.e., programs designed to increase individual's social opportunities, engagement or networks) can improve cognitive function, as well as the role of applied behaviour change techniques (BCTs) in effective interventions. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to (i) quantify the effectiveness of social-based behavioural interventions in improving cognition in older adults, and (ii) identify which BCTs increase social activity behaviour of older adults.
Six electronic databases were searched with restrictions for age (>65 years) and English language from inception to July 2023 (PROSPERO:CRD42021283382) for articles reporting social-based behavioural randomised controlled trials and using a measured outcome of cognitive function. Behaviour change techniques were mapped to the BCT V1 model and risk of bias was assessed. Pooled effect sizes from eligible studies were synthesised using RevMan.
We identified 9528 records and included 15 studies (N=1785 participants). Meta-analyses showed that social-based interventions had a medium effect on global cognition (d=0.80, 95% CI 0.58 to 1.02, p<0.01), but not executive function. The most frequently used intervention components were social-based communication (e.g., chatting, boosting social engagement), group arts-based tasks (e.g., knitting, music, craft) and guided reminiscence. The BCT demonstration of behaviour predicted significant cognitive effects and explained 94.6% of inter-study variation.
Findings carry implications for developing comprehensive strategies to promote social initiatives supporting cognitive health, particularly in addressing the challenges faced by older adults.
老年人社交网络有限与痴呆风险增加有关。然而，对于基于社交的行为干预措施（即旨在增加个人社交机会、参与度或社交网络的项目）是否能改善认知功能，以及应用行为改变技术（BCTs）在有效干预中的作用，我们尚缺乏了解。本系统评价和荟萃分析旨在：（i）量化基于社交的行为干预对改善老年人认知的有效性，以及（ii）确定哪些BCTs能增加老年人的社交活动行为。
检索了六个电子数据库，从建库至2023年7月，限制年龄（>65岁）和语言为英语（PROSPERO：CRD42021283382），以查找报告基于社交的行为随机对照试验并使用认知功能测量结果的文章。将行为改变技术映射到BCT V1模型，并评估偏倚风险。使用RevMan对符合条件的研究的合并效应量进行综合分析。
我们共识别出9528条记录，纳入了15项研究（N = 1785名参与者）。荟萃分析表明，基于社交的干预对整体认知有中等效果（d = 0.80，95% CI 0.58至1.02，p < 0.01），但对执行功能无影响。最常用的干预成分是基于社交的交流（如聊天、增强社交参与度）、基于艺术的小组任务（如编织、音乐、手工艺）和引导式回忆。行为的BCT示范预测了显著的认知效果，并解释了94.6%的研究间差异。
研究结果对于制定促进支持认知健康的社会倡议的综合策略具有启示意义，特别是在应对老年人面临的挑战方面。
