AUTHOR=Vogel Oliver , Niederer Daniel , Vogt Lutz 

TITLE=Multimodal Exercise Effects in Older Adults Depend on Sleep, Movement Biography, and Habitual Physical Activity: A Randomized Controlled Trial

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/aging-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2021.722799

DOI=10.3389/fnagi.2021.722799

ISSN=1663-4365

ABSTRACT=BACKGROUND: Promotion of healthy ageing is one of the major challenges for health care systems in current times. Present study investigates the effects of a standardized physical activity intervention for older adults on cognitive capacity, self-reported health, fear of falls, balance, leg strength and gait under consideration of movement biography, sleep duration and current activity behavior.
METHODS: This single-blinded, randomized controlled trial included 49 community-dwelling older adults (36 female; 82.9 ± 4.5 years of age (M ± SD); intervention group = 25; control group = 24). Movement biography, sleep duration, cognitive capacity, self-reported health status and fear of falls were assessed by means of questionnaires. Leg strength, gait and current activity levels were captured using a pressure plate, accelerometers as well as conducting the Functional-Reach and Chair-Rising-Test. The multicomponent intervention took place twice a week for 45 minutes and lasted 16 weeks. Sub-cohorts of different sleep duration were formed to distinguish between intervention effects and benefits of healthy sleep durations. Change scores were evaluated in univariate analyses of covariances between groups and sub-cohorts of different sleep duration in both groups. Changes in cognitive capacity, self-reported health, fear of falls, balance, leg strength and gait were investigated using the respective baseline values, movement biography and current activity levels as covariates. Analysis was by intention-to-treat (ITT).
RESULTS: We found sub-cohort differences in cognitive capacity change scores (F(3,48) = 5.498, p = .003, ηp2 = .287). Effects on fear of falls (F(1,48) = 12.961, p = .001, ηp2 = .240) and balance change scores F(1,48) = 4.521, p = .040, ηp2 = .099) were modified by the level of current activity. Effects on gait cadence were modified by the movement biography (F(1,48) = 4.545; p = .039, ηp2 = .100).
CONCLUSION: Unlike for functional outcomes, our multicomponent intervention in combination with adequate sleep duration appears to provide combinable beneficial effects for cognitive capacity in older adults. Trainability of gait, fear of falls and flexibility seems to be affected by movement biography and current physical activity levels.