A usability study of a multicomponent video game-based training for older adults

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Neuroscience
• Rehabilitation Science

Background:

• Aging commonly leads to declines in sensory, motor, and cognitive functions, impacting daily life activities such as walking.
• Combined physical-cognitive training, like exergames, shows promise for mitigating age-related functional impairments.
• This study investigates a novel multicomponent exergame for older adults.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the usability of a newly developed multicomponent exergame in healthy older adults.
• To evaluate the effects of this exergame intervention on physical functions, cognitive abilities, and cortical activity.
• To determine training compliance through attendance and attrition rates.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-one healthy older adults (mean age 71.4 years) participated in 21 sessions of a multicomponent exergame over seven weeks.
• The exergame incorporated strength, balance, Tai Chi-inspired, and dance exercises.
• Usability (System Usability Scale), emotional experience (Game Experience Questionnaire), physical/cognitive functions, and resting-state EEG were assessed pre- and post-intervention.

Main Results:

• High training attendance (87.1%) and low attrition (9.5%) indicated good compliance.
• The exergame achieved a high usability score (75/100) and favorable affective experience.
• Significant improvements were observed in dual-task gait speed, lower extremity muscle strength, and divided attention reaction time (p < .05).

Conclusions:

• The developed exergame demonstrates usability for healthy older adults, with potential for improvement in prototype aspects.
• The intervention positively influenced physical and cognitive functions in this sample.
• Future research should explore in-home feasibility, usability in larger populations, and neuroplastic changes with longer training durations and control groups.