Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Feb 3:11:20552076251314353.
doi: 10.1177/20552076251314353. eCollection 2025 Jan-Dec.

Effects of a 12-week digital training equipment program on cognitive function and mental health in older women: a randomized controlled trial

Byung-Sun Lee  1 , Bong Du Choi  1 , Ho Sung Park  1 , Chae Won Seo  1 , Kyung-Ae Kim  1
Affiliations

Effects of a 12-week digital training equipment program on cognitive function and mental health in older women: a randomized controlled trial

Byung-Sun Lee et al. Digit Health. .

Abstract

Objective: Combined interventions of physical activity and cognitive training have been shown to effectively enhance physical and mental factors in older adults. Digital-based tools offer various social advantages and may be more effective in improving the physical and mental well-being of older adults. As digital health content can simultaneously provide physical activity and cognitive training, this study aims to investigate the effects of a digital-based physical and cognitive training program on the physical and mental health of older women and to explore the potential of digital tools for older adults.

Methods: The participants, older women, engaged in the program three times a week for 12 weeks, with each session lasting 30 minutes (10 minutes for each of the three components). The content included digital health tools such as VR, motion tracking, and touchscreens designed for cognitive and physical fitness. Measurements were taken one week before and after the intervention for both groups, assessing body composition, cognitive function, depression, and quality of life.

Results: Data from 36 participants were analyzed. Interaction effects were observed in body fat mass (P = .011) and body fat percentage (P = .01), with improvements noted in the digital intervention group. Cognitive function (P = .017) and depression (P = .017) also showed significant improvements in the digital intervention group. Quality of life subdomains, including Physical Function (P = .009), Limitation of Physical Function (P = .004), and Pain (P = .002), demonstrated significant interaction effects, though no interaction effects were found in other subdomains.

Conclusion: This study found that digital-based combined interventions did not significantly impact body comb position but did improve cognitive function and depression in older women. These findings suggest that digital tools can be effectively utilized for the comprehensive management of cognitive function and mental health well-being. Such insights contribute to promoting healthy aging and provide an efficient method for managing the mental and physical health of older adults.

Keywords: Cognitive function; VR; depression; motion tracking; older adults; physical function; quality of life.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
A flowchart of the participants.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
VR-based cognitive healthcare device and contents.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Motion tracking-based healthcare device and contents.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Touch screen-based healthcare device and contents.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Digital healthcare zone.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. World Health Organization. World population ageing 2021 highlights. Geneva: WHO, 2022.
    1. Statistics Korea. Population status at the end of December 2021. Korea Statistical Information Service. Accessed Dec 21, 2023. Available from: https://kosis.kr/statHtml/statHtml.do?orgId=101&tblId=DT_1BPA002&vw_cd=M....
    1. Prince MJ, Wu F, Guo Y, et al. The burden of disease in older people and implications for health policy and practice. Lancet 2015; 385: 549–562. - PubMed
    1. Livingston G, Huntley J, Sommerlad A, et al. Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2020 report of the lancet commission. Lancet 2020; 396: 413–446. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kivipelto M, Mangialasche F, Ngandu T. Lifestyle interventions to prevent cognitive impairment, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Nat Rev Neurol 2018; 14: 653–666. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources