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Does a Real-Life Cognitively Enriched Walking Program "Take a Walk With Your Brain" Benefit Cognitive Functioning and
Pauline Hotterbeex1,2, Greet Cardon2, Melanie Beeckman3
1Research Group Physical Activity, Sports and Health, Department of Movement Sciences, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Background And Objectives:
Most studies examining combined cognitive and physical activity are conducted in laboratory settings. This randomized controlled trial (RCT) examines the effects of a real-life cognitively enriched walking program on cognitive functioning and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in adults aged ≥65 years.
Research Design And Methods:
A three-arm RCT was conducted, comparing the cognitively enriched walking program (WALK+, doing cognitive tasks while walking) with a walking program without enrichment (WALK-only) and a passive control condition (CONT). Both WALK+ and WALK-only had a duration of 6 months, with 2 outdoors, supervised group-based sessions per week (60-90 min/session). Cognitive functioning (short- and long-term memory, executive functioning, and processing speed) and MVPA were measured at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) and ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometers, respectively.
Results:
A total of 148 community-dwelling adults (median age: 69 years, range: 65-85; 72% [n = 107] female) were included. Comparing WALK+ to WALK-only and CONT, and WALK-only to CONT, there were no significant intervention effects on cognitive functioning at 3, 6, or 12 months. MVPA decreased with 13 min/day in WALK+ between baseline and 12 months, while it increased between baseline and 6 months with 12 min/day in WALK-only and between 3 and 6 months with 16 min/day in CONT.
Discussion And Implications:
The WALK+ program did not lead to statistically significant benefits for cognitive functioning or MVPA compared to WALK-only or CONT. Future studies should explore for whom combined interventions may work and determine the optimal dosage.
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