The Effects of a Program Combining Exercise and Music on Promoting Exercise Continuance and Psychological Factors in Older People

Abstract

Physical exercise can have a positive effect on physical and cognitive functions in older people. However, the elderly often face difficulties in maintaining exercise routines. Music is reported to effectively improve the subjective experience of physical exercise’s intensity, execution, and enhanced capacity related to a sense of accomplishment. We aimed to investigate whether adding music to physical exercise promoted exercise continuance compared with physical exercise alone. The participants were 74 community-dwelling older people who independently maintained activities of daily living. They were either assigned to a music group (MG) or non-music group (NMG). Exercise classes were held once a week for 3 months. The number of times participants participated in the exercise classes, and the number of times they performed exercises at home was assessed. In addition, each participant completed a set of questionnaires assessing exercise self-efficacy (SE) and quality of life before and immediately after the 3-month intervention. After the 3-month intervention, the MG had a significantly higher frequency of participation in the exercise classes and a significantly higher exercise SE score compared with the NMG. Our results show that the combination of physical exercise and music was beneficial for exercise continuance and exercise SE compared with physical exercise alone. Keywords: music, exercise, continuance, exercise self-efficacy, independent older people.