The short-term effects of a sports stacking intervention on the cognitive and perceptual motor functioning in geriatrics.
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Date
2016
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Abstract
Introduction: Sport stacking has been shown to improve cognitive and motor
functioning, such as reaction time and hand eye coordination, through studies
conducted on children in grades two and three but limited research exists to suggest
these improvements in other populations. Due to the decline in cognitive and motor
functioning resulting from aging and the correlation of falls occurred with decreased
cognitive functioning, improvements in these aspects may promote an improvement
in brain functioning and quality of life in geriatrics.
Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of sport stacking on geriatric
motor and cognitive functioning.
Methods: This quasi-experimental design with a pre- and post-intervention selected
a purposive sample of 60 geriatric participants in a retirement home located in the
eThekwini region, KwaZulu-Natal. Participants were between 60-90 years old; had
no physical disabilities; had no sports stacking experience; had no medical
conditions including Alzheimer’s or Parkinson's disease or medication for Vertigo,
hand eye coordination or memory, had no orthopedic complications, and were
sedentary. All participants’ Body Mass Index were measured using the Nagata BW-
1222 W. Performance on Hand eye coordination was tested by using the plate
tapping test, Reaction Time was tested by using the Position Speed Test, Memory
was tested by using the SOMCT questionnaire, and Balance was tested by using the
Sharpened Romberg Test. The quality of life assessment was measured by using
the Lawton’s Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Questionnaire. Thirty participants
were exposed to an eight week intervention twice a week for 60 minutes while the
control group (n=30) continued with activities as per norm. Pre- and post-intervention
results were analysed using the statistical programme SPSS Version 19. Means and
Standard Deviations, and paired t-test statistics were used to test significant
differences pre- and post- intervention.
Results: The intervention group showed improvements in their reaction time (x̅ -
4.464)(σ 3.986) and plate tapping (x̅ 2.629)(σ 2.468) times. However, the control
group also had an increase in reaction time (x̅ -1.933)(σ 4.849) and plate tapping
(x̅ 1.538)(σ 3.255) times. The improvements found in the control group were not as
significant as what was found in the intervention group. Overall, there were no
changes in the balance results pre- and post-intervention. There were no significant
results found in their memory, quality of life and hand eye coordination tests.
However, the intervention groups’ sports stacking times improved over the eight
week intervention and this could possibly be due to an improvement in skill level.
Conclusion: It was apparent that the sports stacking intervention proved to be
beneficial in improving motor functioning in geriatrics.
Description
Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.