Group exercise and cognition in the elderly residing in eThekwini aged care facilities

Background: South Africa is an ageing society; in 2024, the elderly population accounted for 9.7% (6.13 million) of the general population. The elderly are at risk of cognitive decline. The primary aim of the study was to assess whether there was a change in cognitive function after a structured exercise programme and, secondarily, to distinguish the effect of a variation in exercise frequency on cognition. Methods: A study was conducted across five aged care facilities in the eThekwini district. Of the 100 participants, 84 completed the study after being randomly assigned to a uniform supervised programme, exercising two (Group A, N = 45) or three (Group B, N = 39) times per week over a 12-week period. Cognition was measured at baseline and after the exercise intervention using the Short Orientation-Memory-Concentration Test (SOMCT). Cognitive scores pre- and post-intervention were analysed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test as well as the change in scores between the two exercise frequency groups, using an independent t-test. Results: The SOMCT improved by one point from a median of four pre-intervention (interquartile range [IQR] = 6) to a median of three post-intervention (IQR = 8) (p = 0.448). Similarly, although reflecting a small effect size (0.114) and not reaching statistical significance (p = 0.603), a slightly larger improvement was observed in the mean memory score change for exercise three times a week (−0.69 ± 5.4) versus twice per week (−0.10 ± 4.8). Conclusion: The structured exercise programme, and its higher frequency, showed a positive trend of improved cognition, albeit not statistically significant. Contribution: A structured exercise programme may help improve cognition in the elderly.