A Controlled Clinical Trial on the Effects of Aquatic Exercise on Cognitive Functions in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract

Several therapies have been developed to reduce cognitive decline associated with aging. Aquatic exercises, which are widely used to enhance functional capacity, may play a role in stimulating cognitive functions. This study investigated the effects of a 3-month aquatic exercise program on cognitive functions in community-dwelling older adults. In this prospective, single-blinded, controlled clinical trial, 31 participants were allocated to either the experimental (aquatic exercises) or control (no-exercise) group. The intervention program consisted of exercises conducted twice a week in a 1.2 m deep indoor pool. The main outcome measures were cognitive functions, assessed using Raven's Progressive Matrices test and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. A repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to assess the impact of the exercise program. The effect sizes (η²p) were reported when a level of significance was achieved (p < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the participants who underwent aquatic exercises showed positive outcomes in Raven's Progressive Matrices test (p = 0.046; η²p = 0.131) and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (p = 0.001, η²p = 0.589). Complementary analyses of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test indicated that the benefits of the aquatic exercise were observed in terms of the number of trials (p = 0.001, η²p = 0.478), number of errors (p = 0.001, η²p = 0.458), and number of non-perseverative errors (p = 0.001, η²p = 0.302). The results indicate that a period of three months of aquatic exercise was beneficial for stimulating specific aspects of the cognitive function of community-dwelling older individuals. Aquatic exercise should be prescribed to this population.

Keywords: aged; aquatic therapy; cognition; cognitive aging; controlled clinical trial; executive functions; hydrotherapy.