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HEALTH COACHING IMPROVES GLOBAL COGNITION IN AT-RISK INDIVIDUALS FOLLOWING A 4-MONTH INTERVENTION

Abstract

Anthony Campitelli1, Joshua L. Gills1, Megan D. Jones1, Sally Paulson1,2, Erica N. Madero3, Jennifer Myers3, Jordan M. Glenn1,3, Michelle Gray1

1University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR., 2 St. Elizabeth Healthcare, Edgewood, KY, 3Neurotrack Technologies, Inc., Redwood City, CA.

Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) affect more than 6 million Americans, and by the year 2050, this number is expected to rise to more than 13 million. ADRD impose a substantial financial cost as well, with an estimated cost to Americans of $355 billion in 2021, and this is projected to rise to $1.1 trillion by 2050. Health coaching (HC) interventions improve many of the factors known to be protective against ADRD, however, their efficacy for directly improving cognition in individuals at-risk for ADRD is unknown. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of an HC intervention on global cognition scores after 4 months. METHODS: Adults aged 45-75 years (n = 102) participated in this study. To be included, participants needed to have at least 2 risk factors for ADRD, but no more than 1 protective factor. Participants completed the Everyday Cognition scale (ECOG-12) both before and after a 4-month HC protocol focusing on the six dimensions of wellness. As sex differences were found at baseline for ECOG scores, a repeated measures ANCOVA was conducted to determine if there were differences in pre and post ECOG-12 scores with sex as a nominal covariate. RESULTS: After the 4-month HC intervention, ECOG-12 scores significantly improved compared to baseline (16.37±4.06 at baseline vs. 16.05±3.93 at 4 months, F(1,10) = 5.295, p < .001). CONCLUSION: Preliminary results show that an HC intervention may improve everyday global cognition having a positive effect on the symptoms of ADRD, potentially improving the quality of life for individuals suffering from or at-risk for those diseases. Further investigation will shed light on whether the cognitive benefits of health coaching are iterative and durable.

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