Development of a novel exercise program for improving physical and cognitive functions in community-dwelling older Japanese adults

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the longitudinal effect of the novel exercise programs on the cognitive function of community-dwelling, older, Japanese adults. Our study had 2 groups: the intervention (I) group (n = 40; mean age 70.2 +/- 3.6 years) in which participants voluntarily continued the exercise programs once or twice per week for 3 years, and the Control (C) Group (n = 40; mean age 70.1 +/- 3.6 years). We assessed cognitive function using the 5-cog test. The 5-cog test scores in the I Group increased significantly over 3 years while no change was observed in the C Group (I 69.7 to 84.1, P < 0.05; C 69.3 to 76.3, not significant). The scores of the 5-cog test indicated a significant difference in the third year between the I and C groups (84.1 vs. 76.3 points, P < 0.05). These results suggest that regular and voluntary participation in the exercise by older adults over three years could help them maintain or improve their cognitive functions.