Abstract
BackgroundThe number of people living with dementia is increasing worldwide, mainly because of aging of the population. To date, there is no pharmaceutical intervention to delay or treat cognitive decline or dementia. As an estimated one-third of dementia cases might be attributable to modifiable lifestyle factors (such as cognitive and physical activity), multidomain lifestyle interventions are a promising way to maintain or improve brain health. Offering programs online would enable large-scale implementation. An overview of multidomain Web-based lifestyle programs for brain health would facilitate comparison and improvement of such programs to develop effective and sustainable interventions.ObjectiveThis study aimed to (1) provide a comprehensive overview of Web-based multidomain lifestyle programs aimed at optimizing brain health in healthy adult populations and (2) describe the programs and targeted lifestyle factors, availability, and evaluation of adherence and user experience. In addition, a meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of these programs.MethodsElectronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, and PsycINFO) were searched for Web-based lifestyle programs that were included when the program (1) aimed to optimize brain health, (2) focused on multiple lifestyle factors, (3) was completely Web-based (website, Web application or mobile app), (4) consisted of multiple sessions, and (5) focused on a healthy adult population. Program characteristics (target population, duration, frequency, tailoring, platform, and availability) and results of program evaluations (effectiveness, user evaluations, and adherence) were extracted and compared. Studies using a controlled design were included in a random-effects meta-analysis on the effectiveness on brain health outcomes. Study quality was assessed using the physiotherapy evidence database (PEDro) scale.ResultsThe electronic searches yielded 44 documents describing 14 Web-based lifestyle programs; physical and cognitive activities were targeted in all programs. Four programs (4/14, 29%) were publicly available and free of charge, whereas others were restricted to research settings (5/14, 36%), available after payment (1/14, 7%), or not available at all (2/14, 14%). User evaluations were reported for 8 (57%) of the 14 programs. Reported dropout of the intervention groups ranged from 2% to 52%. Overall, 3 studies evaluated the effectiveness of a program using a controlled design and were included in the meta-analysis (moderate-to-high quality). Pooled results showed a significant small-to-medium effect of the Web-based multidomain lifestyle interventions on outcome measures for brain health (global cognition score, subjective cognitive score, and lifestyle risk score; standard mean difference=0.45; 95% CI 0.12-0.78), with a high degree heterogeneity across studies (I2=75%; P=.02).ConclusionsIn total, 14 Web-based multidomain lifestyle programs aimed at optimizing brain health were found. The programs showed heterogeneity in both characteristics and effectiveness evaluation. Despite this heterogeneity, this meta-analysis suggests that Web-based lifestyle programs can positively influence brain health outcomes and have the potential to contribute to the prevention of dementia.
Highlights
BackgroundDementia is characterized by a gradual decline of cognitive functioning and impairment in daily functioning [1]
In total, 14 Web-based multidomain lifestyle programs aimed at optimizing brain health were found
The Lifestyle Enrichment for Alzheimer Prevention (LEAP) [54] program was developed for individuals with upcoming or recent retirement and Long Lasting Memories [58] for individuals with or without a cognitive impairment
Summary
BackgroundDementia is characterized by a gradual decline of cognitive functioning and impairment in daily functioning [1]. In 2015, 46 million people were living with dementia worldwide, and this number is estimated to increase to 131.5 million by 2050 [4] because of aging of the society [5]. Dementia causes a large burden on society and health care, with a worldwide estimated cost of $818 billion in 2015 [4,5]. Lifestyle interventions aimed at improving brain health and cognitive functioning before the onset of dementia (ie, in healthy persons) might delay or even prevent the occurrence of cognitive decline or dementia [6-9]. The number of people living with dementia is increasing worldwide, mainly because of aging of the population. As an estimated one-third of dementia cases might be attributable to modifiable lifestyle factors (such as cognitive and physical activity), multidomain lifestyle interventions are a promising way to maintain or improve brain health. An overview of multidomain Web-based lifestyle programs for brain health would facilitate comparison and improvement of such programs to develop effective and sustainable interventions
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