| 1. |
- Swinnen, N, et al.
(författare)
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The VITAAL Stepping Exergame Prototype for Older Adults With Major Neurocognitive Disorder: A Usability Study
- 2021
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Ingår i: Frontiers in aging neuroscience. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1663-4365. ; 13, s. 701319-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose:This study investigates the usability of a stepping exergame in older adults with major neurocognitive disorder (MNCD) residing in a long-term care facility.Materials and Methods:A mixed methods study was conducted. Participants played exergames for 30 min on one try-out session. During the exergames, the think aloud method was used, and field notes were taken by the facilitator. Following the exergames, participants completed the System Usability Scale (SUS) and a semi-structured in-depth interview about usability including their personal experiences. Audio files were transcribed and a thematic content analysis of the think aloud data, field notes and interviews were performed using NVivo 12.Results:Twenty-two participants with MNCD were included [mean age = 84.3 ± 5.5 (70–95) years; 81.8% women; Short Physical Performance Battery score = 7.5 ± 3.2 (1–12), Montreal Cognitive Assessment score = 11.9 ± 4.4 (2–19)]. System usability was rated “ok to good” with a mean SUS score of 57.8 (SD= 12.3) with scores ranging from 37.5 to 90.0. Five main themes emerged from the thematic content analysis: (1) perceived user friendliness and acceptability of the exergames; (2) interactional experience; (3) motivational factors; (4) training modalities; and (5) risks. There were no adverse events nor dropouts.Conclusion:Participants evaluated the usability of the exergames positively. The results indicate that the stepping exergame is usable in older adults with MNCD.
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| 2. |
- Thalmann, M, et al.
(författare)
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Usability Study of a Multicomponent Exergame Training for Older Adults with Mobility Limitations
- 2021
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Ingår i: International journal of environmental research and public health. - : MDPI AG. - 1660-4601. ; 18:24
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The global population aged 60 years and over rises due to increasing life expectancy. More older adults suffer from “geriatric giants”. Mobility limitations, including immobility and instability, are usually accompanied by physical and cognitive decline, and can be further associated with gait changes. Improvements in physical and cognitive functions can be achieved with virtual reality exergame environments. This study investigated the usability of the newly developed VITAAL exergame in mobility-impaired older adults aged 60 years and older. Usability was evaluated with a mixed-methods approach including a usability protocol, the System Usability Scale, and a guideline-based interview. Thirteen participants (9 female, 80.5 ± 4.9 years, range: 71–89) tested the exergame and completed the measurement. The System Usability Scale was rated in a marginal acceptability range (58.3 ± 16.5, range: 30–85). The usability protocol and the guideline-based interview revealed general positive usability. The VITAAL exergame prototype received positive feedback and can be considered usable by older adults with mobility limitations. However, minor improvements to the system in terms of design, instructions, and technical aspects should be taken into account. The results warrant testing of the feasibility of the adapted multicomponent VITAAL exergame, and its effects on physical and cognitive functions, in comparison with conventional training, should be studied.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Manser, P, et al.
(författare)
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Can Reactivity of Heart Rate Variability Be a Potential Biomarker and Monitoring Tool to Promote Healthy Aging? A Systematic Review With Meta-Analyses
- 2021
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Ingår i: Frontiers in physiology. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1664-042X. ; 12, s. 686129-
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Forskningsöversikt (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: Monitoring phasic responses of heart rate variability (HRV) in terms of HRV reactivity [i. e., the absolute change from resting state to on-task (i.e., absolute values of HRV measured during exercise)] might provide useful insights into the individual psychophysiological responses of healthy middle-aged to older adults (HOA) to cognitive and physical exercises.Objectives: To summarize the evidence of phasic HRV responses to cognitive and physical exercises, and to evaluate key moderating factors influencing these responses.Methods: A systematic review with meta-analyses was performed. Publications up to May 2020 of the databases Medline (EBSCO), Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Psycinfo, Web of Science, Scopus, and Pedro were considered. Controlled clinical trials and observational studies measuring phasic HRV responses to cognitive and/or physical exercises in HOA (≥50 years) were included.Results: The initial search identified 6,828 articles, of which 43 were included into the systematic review. Compared to resting state, vagally-mediated HRV indices were significantly reduced during all types of exercises [Hedge's g = −0.608, 95 % CI (−0.999 to −0.218), p = 0.002] indicating a significant parasympathetic withdrawal compared to rest. The key moderating variables of these responses identified included exercise intensity for physical exercises, and participant characteristics (i.e., level of cognitive functioning, physical fitness), task demands (i.e., task complexity and modality) and the individual responses to these cognitive challenges for cognitive exercises. In particular, higher task demands (task complexity and physical exercise intensity) were related to larger HRV reactivities. Better physical fitness and cognition were associated with lower HRV reactivities. Additionally, HRV reactivity appeared to be sensitive to training-induced cognitive and neural changes.Conclusion: HRV reactivity seems to be a promising biomarker for monitoring internal training load and evaluating neurobiological effects of training interventions. Further research is warranted to evaluate the potential of HRV reactivity as a monitoring parameter to guide cognitive-motor training interventions and/or as a biomarker for cognitive impairment. This may facilitate the early detection of cognitive impairment as well as allow individualized training adaptations that, in turn, support the healthy aging process by optimizing individual exercise dose and progression of cognitive-motor training.
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