A randomized controlled pilot study of a cognitive–behavioral video game intervention for the promotion of active aging

Abstract

Background Due to the accessibility barriers of in-person programs for active aging, the development of programs that use innovative technologies is needed. Video games can be an engaging tool for disseminating active aging interventions. Objective The objective of this pilot study was to analyze the feasibility of a cognitive–behavioral intervention to promote active aging administered through a video game. Methods Fifty-five participants (63.6% women, mean age = 53.0 years) were randomly assigned to a cognitive–behavioral intervention to promote active aging administered through an interactive multimedia online video game with a complementary app (CBI-V; n = 29) or to a control group that received nonspecific online information (CG; n = 26). Results Only 3.6% of the participants dropped out of the study (6.9% in CBI-V and 0.0% in CG; without significant differences between groups). The mean number of modules completed was 7.6 (SD = 0.9) out of 8 in the CBI-V and 7.9 (SD = 0.5) in the control group (CG), without significant between-group differences. In the CBI-V, the mean total time dedicated to the game was 516.8 min (SD = 94.3), including 143.2 min (SD = 31.6) of cognitive training tasks, and the mean of completed tasks was 206.2 (SD = 33.7) out of 259. Participants were highly engaged (M = 39.9, SD = 8.6) and satisfied (M = 25.8, SD = 4.5) with the intervention. After the intervention, the CBI-V group significantly improved on SF-36 dimensions of General Health (p = .0386), Vitality (p = .0283), Social Functioning (p = .0130), and Physical Summary Index (p = .0370) compared to the CG, with medium effect sizes (d = 0.56–0.75). Conclusions The results demonstrate the feasibility of the video game intervention to promote active aging and encourage conducting a large-scale randomized controlled trial.