Older Adults’ Perceptions of Cognitive,Physical,and Exergame Training: A Mixed Methods Investigation of a Four-Armed Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial

Abstract

Purpose:

Although the health benefits of behavioral interventions for older adults are well studied, research focused on intervention acceptability in older adult populations is less established and is needed. This mixed methods study investigated older adults’ perceptions of training interventions.

Methods:

Community-dwelling older adults (N = 41) were randomized into three groups (cognitive, physical, and exergame) and completed 20 in-lab training sessions over 10 weeks. At every fifth session, participants provided feedback on their perceived gains across functional domains, enjoyment of and motivation to complete training, and aspects they most and least enjoyed regarding study participation.

Results:

Based on the multivariate analysis of variance, perceived cognitive and everyday function gains did not vary by training group. However, physical and exergame groups perceived greater improvement in physical function than the cognitive training group (P < 0.001). Enjoyment of and motivation to complete training did not vary by training group. Exploratory qualitative coding results suggest that participants across groups most enjoyed social interaction and feelings of improvement. Participants least enjoyed traveling to the study site and engaging in aspects of training (e.g., specific games, structure or duration of training).

Conclusion:

These findings highlight the importance of incorporating meaningful social engagement and balancing the challenge of training components with goal attainment when working with older adults, regardless of the intervention type. Future research and practice should consider salient aspects of the participant experience (e.g., social connection, accessible locations or remote options) when designing interventions for older adults.