EFFECTIVENESS OF A GAME-BASED RECREATION PROGRAM ON COGNITIVE ABILITIES AMONG OLDER ADULTS: A COMPARATIVE AND FOLLOW-UP STUDY

Abstract

This study aimed to 1) Examine the effect of a game-based recreation program on cognitive abilities among older adults in the experimental and comparison groups, and 2) Examine the maintenance of the effect at the 3-month follow-up. A quasi-experimental two-group design with repeated measurements at three time points was employed. The participants were 60 older adults in Nakhon Nayok Province, with 30 participants in the experimental group and 30 in the comparison group. The experimental group participated in the program for 8 weeks, once a week for 3 hours per session, while the comparison group continued their usual activities. Cognitive abilities were assessed using the Thai Mental State Examination (TMSE) before the intervention, after completion of the program, and at the 3-month follow-up. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, an independent-samples t-test, and mixed repeated-measures analysis of variance. The results showed that the mean TMSE scores of the experimental group at the three time points were 23.13, 24.20, and 25.63, respectively, while those of the comparison group were 23.37, 23.17, and 23.30, respectively. A statistically significant group-by-time interaction was found, F(2, 116) = 27.71, p < .001, partial η² = .323. Pairwise comparisons showed that the experimental group had a significantly higher score after completion of the program than before the intervention (p < .01), and the score at the 3-month follow-up was significantly higher than both the pre-intervention and post-intervention scores (p < .001). These findings indicate that the game-based recreation program was effective in promoting cognitive abilities among older adults, with the effect remaining evident at the 3-month follow-up, supporting the application of the program to promote cognitive abilities among older adults in community settings.