‘Back to daily life’: A comparison of the effectiveness of daily-life practice-based and multitasking interventions for mild cognitive impairment in community-dwelling older adults in China

Abstract This study explored the effects of a multitasking (MT) intervention and a daily-life practice-based (DLPB) intervention on mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in older adults. A total of 114 older adults were recruited from a relocated community in China and assigned to the MT, DLPB, healthy reference, or waitlist group. The results showed that both MT and DLPB interventions significantly and effectively improved cognitive function, exhibiting unique strengths in specific cognitive dimensions and distinct patterns across age and gender subgroups. MT showed targeted improvements in memory with stable effects across age and gender, while DLPB yielded broader but more moderate gains, particularly among young-old adults, with evident age and gender differences. Despite limitations, the study provides evidence for the effectiveness of DLPB interventions and offers a cost-effective intervention strategy for community-dwelling elder care in the context of the aging population in China.