Publication Date
Spring 2018
Advisor(s) - Committee Chair
Matthew Shake (Director), K. Jason Crandall, and Sharon Mutter
Degree Program
Department of Psychological Sciences
Degree Type
Master of Science
Abstract
Previous research has suggested that physical exercise can play a role in not only improving functional performance, but also cognitive function. In this study, adults age 60 and older participated in a health promotion intervention that included two groups: (a) a Bingocize® group, who exercised and learned about relevant health information while playing bingo, and (b) a control group who only learned about relevant health information while playing bingo. The intervention was completed over the course of 10- weeks at community senior centers. Cognitive function, functional fitness, and health knowledge were assessed before and after the intervention to test for improvements. Through the course of the intervention, both the experimental and control groups showed improvements in several areas of cognition as well as functional performance. However, on a few tasks the experimental group showed improvement while the control group did not; specifically, on an updating (cognition) task, and two functional performance tasks (repeated chair stands and arm curls). Both of the groups also showed improvement in knowledge of relevant health information and a measure of patient activation (how confident a person feels in maintaining their personal health). From this, it is suggested that the Bingocize® program may be a promising approach to improving select aspects of cognition and functional performance in older adulthood.
Disciplines
Cognitive Psychology | Exercise Science | Gerontology
Recommended Citation
Mathews, Rilee Pauline, "The Effects of Bingocize® on Cognitive Aging: A Health Promotion Intervention" (2018). Masters Theses & Specialist Projects. Paper 2343.
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/2343