Weerd, L. van de (Lieke) (2019) The effect of physical exercise on mood in patients with dementia and the mediating effect of cognition. thesis, Human Movement Sciences.
Full text available on request.Abstract
Background: Dementia often goes together with mood related symptoms including symptoms of depression and anxiety. These symptoms affect patients’ quality of life, heightens the caregiver burden and may lead to institutionalization. Physical exercise seems to be promising to improve mood since combined aerobic-strength exercise appeared beneficial for the mood of older people without dementia. This study investigated the effect of an aerobic and strength exercise program on mood in patients with dementia. Also, differential effects of a low and high intensity period and the mediating effect of cognition in the exercise-mood relationship were examined. Methods: 48 people with dementia (age 81 ± 7 years) visiting day care centers participated in a 24-week single blind RCT. The experimental group (N = 27) conducted walking and lower body strength exercises, three 30-minute sessions per week, 12 weeks with low intensity followed by 12 weeks with high intensity. The control group (N = 21) received an attentional program with the same frequency and duration. Assessment took place at pretest and after 12 and 24 weeks. Mood was assessed with the TOPICS-MDS mental health scale (subscale Rand-36) and cognition with neuropsychological tests. Results: Analysis of covariance did not show significant between group effects for mood for the total exercise period, low intensity period, and high intensity period. No significant correlations were found between changes in mood and changes in cognition. Conclusion: We could not prove that a 24-weeks combined physical exercise program of aerobic and strength exercise has an effect on mood in patients with dementia. This counts for both low and high intensity exercise. Finally, we did not find a relation between changes in cognition and changes in mood after physical exercise. We recommend more research toward the effect of moderate to high strength exercise compared to treatment as usual control group in patients with dementia with the presence of a mood disorder.
| Item Type: | Thesis (UNSPECIFIED) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Heuvelen, dr. M.J.G. van and Sanders, L.M.J. |
| Faculty: | Medical Sciences |
| Date Deposited: | 24 May 2022 10:05 |
| Last Modified: | 24 May 2022 10:05 |
| URI: | https://umcg.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/3436 |
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