Trial reportAlzheimer's research & therapy2023
The effects of a moderate physical activity intervention on physical fitness and cognition in healthy elderly with low levels of physical activity: a randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in Alzheimer's research & therapy, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 43 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
43 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 61 citations in OpenAlex.
- Comparative effects of different exercise modalities on cognitive domains in older adults: a Bayesian network meta-analysis and meta-regression.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Physical Activity and Cognitive Decline Among Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.JAMA network open · 2024Pooled it
- The role of physical exercise in enhancing Health, quality of life and joy among older adults.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Effects of a Mobile Storytelling App (Huiyou) on Social Participation Among People With Mild Cognitive Impairment: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR human factors · 2025Trial
- Associations between body mass index and peak expiratory flow rate and the mediating role of hand grip strength: evidence from CHARLS.Clinics (Sao Paulo, Brazil) · 2026Article
- The Effects of Social Dance on Muscular Fitness and Longevity-Related Circulating Biomarkers in the Elderly.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2026Article
- Physical function impacts hearing without mediation from systolic blood pressure.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Exploring the relationship between BMI and cognitive function in older adults: The mediating role of recreational physical activity.Medicine · 2026Article
- Article
- Physical fitness and cognitive function: a cross-sectional study among adults in Qatar.BMJ open · 2026Article
- Development and validation of the physical activity behavior scale for older adults based on the theory of planned behavior.BMC geriatrics · 2026Article
- Exploring Exercise-Linked Neurovascular Unit Adaptations and Sema3G Pathway Involvement in Rats with Vascular Cognitive Impairment.Neurochemical research · 2026Article
- Association of Physical Activity with Dementia Risk in Cancer Survivors: A Korean Nationwide Cohort Study.Cancer research and treatment · 2026Article
- Gender- and domain-specific effects of a 6-month multidimensional exercise program on attention and verbal fluency in physically inactive older adults.Frontiers in aging · 2026Article
- Influence of a sport-oriented exercise concept on motor performance and sustainability in healthy but sporting inactive older adults aged 60.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Article
- Longitudinal associations between physical activity and cognition post-stroke: the Nor-COAST study.Brain communications · 2026Article
- Sport participation and healthy aging among older adults: a social ecological analysis of individual, contextual, and policy mechanisms.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Amyloid-beta relates to default and attention network connectivity during working memory retrieval.Brain communications · 2026Article
- Physical activity trajectories and cognitive decline among older adults in China: a longitudinal cohort study.BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIncreasing physical activity is one of the most promising and challenging interventions to delay or prevent cognitive decline and dementia.
methodsWe conducted a randomized controlled trial to assess the effects of a physical activity intervention, aimed at increasing step count, in elderly with low levels of physical activity on measures of strength, balance, aerobic capacity, and cognition. Participants were assigned to 9 months of exercise counseling or active control.
resultsThe intention-to-treat analyses show that the intervention, compared to control, increases the level of physical activity, but has no significant effect on physical fitness and cognition. Those who increased their physical activity with 35% or more show significant improvements in aerobic capacity, gait speed, verbal memory, executive functioning, and global cognition, compared to those who did not achieve a 35% increase. LIMITATIONS: The number of participants that achieved the intended improvement was lower than expected.
conclusionResponder analyses suggest an improvement of physical fitness and cognition in those who achieved an increase in physical activity of at least 35%.
trial registrationThe trial protocol is registered at the Dutch Trial Register NL5675, August 1, 2016.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.