Subjective Experience on Virtual Reality-Assisted Mental Health Promotion Program.

OBJECTIVE: Mental health promotion programs using virtual reality (VR) technology have been developed in various forms. This study aimed to investigate the subjective experience of a VR-assisted mental health promotion program for the community population, which was provided in the form of VR experience on a bus to increase accessibility. METHODS: Ninety-six people participated in this study. The relationship between the subjective experience and mental health states such as depression, anxiety, perceived stress, and quality of life was explored. The subjective experience on depression and stress before and after VR program treatment was compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The satisfaction with the VR-assisted mental health promotion program was examined after using the VR program. RESULTS: The VR-assisted mental health promotion program on a bus significantly improved subjective symptoms such as depression (p=0.036) and perceived stress (p=0.010) among all the participants. Among the high-risk group, this VR program significantly relieved subjective depressive feeling score (p=0.033), and subjective stressful feeling score (p=0.035). In contrast, there were no significant changes in subjective depressive feelings (p=0.182) and subjective stressful feelings (p=0.058) among the healthy group. Seventy-two percent of the participants reported a high level of satisfaction, scoring 80 points or more. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study suggest that the VR-assisted mental health promotion program may effectively improve the subjective depressive and stressful feelings. The use of VR programs on buses to increase of accessibility for the community could be a useful approach for promoting mental health among the population.

Effect of Individual Virtual Reality Cognitive Training Programs on Cognitive Function and Depression in Middle-Aged Women: Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Given the increasing incidence of early-onset Alzheimer disease, strategies for early diagnosis and swift treatment interventions are crucial for mitigating cognitive problems in women and middle-aged individuals who face a high risk of cognitive impairment. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of individual cognitive training programs based on virtual reality (VR), a nonpharmacological intervention, on cognitive function and depression in middle-aged women at risk of cognitive impairment. It used VR technology, which has recently been recognized as a promising tool. METHODS: We administered a VR-based cognitive training program for 30 minutes daily, twice a week, for 12 weeks (24 sessions). This study included middle-aged women residing in older adults' welfare facilities in G-gu, Busan, from May to August 2021. A total of 60 participants were randomly divided into the training (n=30) and control (n=30) groups. Cognitive and depressive functions were assessed using the Korean versions of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (K-MoCA), Digit Span Test (DST), Korean-Color Word Stroop Test (K-CWST), and Short Form of the Geriatric Depression Scale (SGDS-K) before the intervention. The training group underwent a VR-based cognitive training program, whereas the control group was educated to maintain regular daily activities. The same assessments were performed 12 weeks after treatment. RESULTS: A comparison of the mean scores before and after K-MoCA in the training group revealed a significant increase from 24.87 (SD 2.62) to 27.50 (SD 1.70; P<.01), indicating substantial cognitive improvement. Similarly, the mean DST forward scores increased significantly from 6.97 (SD 1.10) to 7.90 (SD 1.18; P<.01), suggesting enhanced short-term auditory memory and attention. The mean DST backward scores also showed a significant improvement from 4.10 (SD 0.71) to 4.77 (SD 1.2; P=.01). Notably, the mean SGDS-K scores decreased significantly from 3.97 (SD 2.51) to 2.13 (SD 1.87; P<.01), indicating a reduction in depression within the training group. CONCLUSIONS: The VR-based cognitive training programs significantly enhanced cognitive function and reduced depression in middle-aged women. Consequently, these programs are considered beneficial nonpharmacological cognitive training interventions for middle-aged women at high risk of cognitive impairment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: UMIN Clinical Trials Registry UMIN000049752; https://tinyurl.com/z5du989z.

Health Provider's Feedback on Physical Activity Surveillance Using Wearable Device-Smartphone Application for Adults with Metabolic Syndrome; a 12-Week Randomized Control Study.

Purpose: Research on whether wearable device interventions can effectively prevent metabolic syndrome remains insufficient. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of feedback on clinical indicators in patients with metabolic syndrome on activities measured using wearable devices, such as smartphone apps. Methods: Patients with metabolic syndrome were recruited and prescribed to live for 12 weeks using a wrist-wearable device (B.BAND, B Life Inc., Korea). A block randomization method was used to distribute participants between the intervention (n=35) and control groups (n=32). In the intervention group, an experienced study coordinator provided feedback on physical activity to individuals through telephonic counseling every other week. Results: The mean number of steps in the control group was 8892.86 (4473.53), and those in the intervention group was 10,129.31 (4224.11). After 12 weeks, metabolic syndrome was resolved. Notably, there were statistically significant differences in the metabolic composition among the participants who completed the intervention. The mean number of metabolic disorder components per person remained at 3 in the control group, and decreased from 4 to 3 in the intervention group. Additionally, waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and triglyceride levels were significantly reduced, while HDL-cholesterol levels were significantly increased in the intervention group. Conclusion: Overall, 12 weeks of telephonic counseling intervention using wearable device-based physical activity confirmation improved the damaged metabolic components of patients with metabolic syndrome. Telephonic intervention can help increase physical activity and reduce waist circumference, which is a typical clinical indicator of metabolic syndrome.

Cluster Analysis on the Mental Health States in a Community Sample of Young Women During Pre-Pregnancy, Pregnancy, or the Postpartum Period.

OBJECTIVE: It is necessary to identify the mental health types of young women considering the importance of the mental health during the peripartum period. This study aimed to classify the mental health types in a community sample of young women with pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, or the postpartum period. METHODS: A total of 293 young women during pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, or the postpartum period were included in this study. The clinical characteristics of depression, anxiety, perceived stress, and quality of life were assessed. The clinical characteristics of the subject were classified by cluster analysis and compared by analysis of variance. RESULTS: From the cluster analysis, the subjects were classified into three groups. Cluster 1 showed significantly lower depression and anxiety and higher quality of life than those of cluster 2 and 3. Cluster 2 demonstrated significantly higher depression and anxiety and lower quality of life than those of cluster 3 and 1. Cluster 3 represented the intermediate levels between cluster 2 and 1. CONCLUSION: This study suggested that young women during pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, or the postpartum period might be in a good mental health group, a high-risk group requiring active monitoring, or a group in need of treatment. By monitoring mental health, the groups with high risk or requiring treatment could be discovered and proper management for prevention or improvement of mental health and quality of life can be provided.

Effects of ICT-Based Multicomponent Program on Body Composition and Cognitive Function in Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Study.

PURPOSE: Information and communication technology (ICT)-based training devices for older adults' care related to dementia are being developed to enhance older adults' cognitive functions. Older adults who require bicycle training devices can improve muscle strength and balance of lower limbs by continuously contracting and relaxing lower-limb muscles and improving cognitive function to prevent dementia. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of an ICT-based multicomponent program on body composition and cognitive function in older adults. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a randomized controlled intervention test on 20 people over the age of 60 (exercise group: n = 10; control: n = 10), the multicomponent program was applied to the exercise group twice per week, once per day for 12 weeks, at 30 min per session, whereas the control group was advised to maintain their usual daily activities. RESULTS: Comparing body composition changes and cognitive function changes before and after intervention exhibited statistically significant differences in skeletal muscle mass (P=0.01) and modified Alzheimer's disease assessment scale-cognitive score (P=0.01) between the two groups. CONCLUSION: It can be difficult to be engaged in a simple repetitive exercise program. Therefore, to meet older adults' interests and expectations, a customized ICT-based multicomponent program, which can improve body composition and cognitive function in older adults and is believed to help prevent dementia, is recommended. TRIAL REGISTRATION: UMIN000042129 (https://www.umin.ac.jp/english/).

An Association between Lower Extremity Function and Cognitive Frailty: A Sample Population from the KFACS Study.

The present study aimed to define the physical function and lipid profile for physical and cognitive frailty in community-dwelling Korean older adults. A total of 229 participants (age = 76.76 ± 3.72 years; body mass index = 24.83 ± 3.15) were classified into four groups: robust, pre-frailty, cognitive decline, and cognitive frailty. An analysis on the four groups was performed to measure their physical and cognitive function, as well as blood biomarkers. The area under (AUC) the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) indicated that the 6-min Walk Test (6MWT), Timed Up and Go test (TUG), and Five Times Sit-to-Stand test (FTSS) had the potential to distinguish the capacity of an old adult to predict cognitive frailty. The 6MWT had a higher sensitivity and the TUG and FTSS tests had greater specificity. With cognitive frailty as a categorical variable, cognitive frailty status was a significant predictor of the TUG (odds ratio (OR) 2.897; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.283-6.541), FTSS (OR 3.337; 95% CI 1.451-7.673), and 6MWT (OR 0.204; 95% CI 0.070-0.591) tests. Our findings indicate that the 6MWT, TUG, and FTSS tests are closely related to cognitive frailty and can provide potential prognostic cutoff points.

Feasibility and Tolerability of a Culture-Based Virtual Reality (VR) Training Program in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study.

The present study examined whether a culture-based virtual reality (VR) training program is feasible and tolerable for patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), and whether it could improve cognitive function in these patients. Twenty-one outpatients with aMCI were randomized to either the VR-based training group or the control group in a 1∶1 ratio. The VR-based training group participated in training for 30 min/day, two days/week, for three months (24 times). The VR-based program was designed based on Korean traditional culture and used attention, processing speed, executive function and memory conditions to stimulate cognitive function. The adherence to the culture-based VR training program was 91.55% ± 6.41% in the VR group. The only adverse events observed in the VR group were dizziness (4.2%) and fatigue (8.3%). Analysis revealed that the VR-based training group exhibited no significant differences following the three-month VR program in Korean Mini-Mental State Examination (K-MMSE) scores, working memory functions such as performance on the digit span test, or in Stroop test performance and word fluency. We conclude that although the 12-week culture-based VR training program did not improve cognitive function, our findings revealed that the culture-based VR training program was feasible and tolerable for participants with aMCI.