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Multidomain Benefits of Exergaming for Sarcopenia Management in Institutionalized Older Adults: Physical,
Tzu-Pei Yeh1, Yen-Kuang Lin2, Dorothy Bai3
1School of Nursing, China Medical University, Beitun District, Taichung, Taiwan; Department of Nursing, China Medical University Hospital, North District, Taichung, Taiwan.
Objective:
To evaluate the effectiveness of a 12-week exergaming intervention (Nintendo Switch Ring Fit Adventure) on physical, psychological, and social outcomes in institutionalized older adults with sarcopenia. We hypothesized that exergaming would produce concurrent improvements across physical, psychological, and social domains.
Design:
Pragmatic quasi-experimental study with a pre-post design and matched facility pairs, following the Transparent Reporting of Evaluations with Nonrandomized Designs guidelines.
Setting:
Six long-term care facilities in Taiwan (3 intervention and 3 comparison).
Participants:
N=72 institutionalized older adults (n=36 intervention group and n=36 comparison group) with confirmed sarcopenia per the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) 2019 criteria, aged ≥65 years, with adequate cognitive capacity.
Interventions:
The intervention group received thrice-weekly 50-minute exergaming sessions over 12 weeks, with intensity maintained at a Borg rating of perceived exertion (RPE) of 13-14 (6-20 scale). The comparison group continued routine care.
Main Outcome Measures:
Sarcopenia indicators (muscle mass index, grip strength, gait speed), functional performance (sit-to-stand, timed Up and Go), and psychosocial outcomes (Geriatric Depression Scale, University of California Los Angeles Loneliness Scale, Pittsburgh Fatigability Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index).
Results:
Significant time-by-group interactions (groups changed differently over time) occurred across all domains. In the physical domain, sarcopenia prevalence decreased from 100% to 41.7% (intervention group) vs 100% to 94.4% (comparison group) (P<.001); grip strength increased by 26.9% (intervention group) vs -7.4% (comparison group); and muscle mass index increased by 14.3% (intervention group) vs -5.2% (comparison group). In the psychological domain, depression decreased by 44% vs an increase of 31%; anxiety decreased by 14% vs an increase of 15%. In the social domain, loneliness decreased by 9% vs an increase of 6%. Adherence reached 94.4% with no adverse events.
Conclusions:
Exergaming demonstrated clinically meaningful improvements across physical, psychological, and social domains, with exceptional adherence, suggesting gaming's unique potential to address the interconnected biopsychosocial nature of sarcopenia-a critical advantage for holistic geriatric care in institutional settings.
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