Effects of a dual-task intervention program in institutionalized older adults: a pilot randomized controlled trial

Objective: to compare the effects of single-task (ST) and dual-task (DT) training on physical and cognitive function in institutionalized older adults. Methods: Participants included in this pilot study were assigned randomly into two groups, ST (multicomponent physical exercise, MPE) and DT training (MPE + cognitive tasks). Both groups performed the exercise three times per week for 1 month. Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), isometric handgrip strength (IHS), Barthel Index and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) were used to assess physical and cognitive performance, respectively. Participants were evaluated at the beginning (V1), at the end of the exercise (V2), as well as one month later (V3). Paired Student’s t-test and lineal regression models were used to explore the effect of the exercise interventions. Results: 24 (58.3% men, mean age 67.33±3.36) institutionalized older adults were included. Adherence in both groups was 100%. After the training period, both groups significantly improved SPPB and IHS, while MoCA only increased in the DT group. At V3, both groups presented significantly higher MoCA scores, although only DT increased IHS scores. Significant differences between groups were observed in ∆V1-V2 SPPB (p-value <0.001) and ∆V1-V3 IHS (p-value <0.05). Once cognitive function was considered, only ∆V1-V2 SPPB [β (95%CI): 1.63 (0.78, 2.47), p-value 0.001] and ∆V1-V2 IHS [β (95%CI): 0.97 (0.10, 1.84), p-value 0.031] were significantly different between groups. Conclusions: Dual-task exercise may produce greater effect on physical, but not cognitive function, in comparison with single-task exercise in institutionalized older adults. Larger randomized-controlled trials are needed to confirm our findings.