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Table 1 Summary of included studies (n=15)

From: A meta-analysis of behaviour change techniques in social interventions targeting improved cognitive function in older adults

Author /Year

Country

Participant mean age(SD), Gender (% female)

Sample Size

Total retention rate

Time points data collection

Outcome(s)

Outcome(s) measure

Ahessy 2016 [58]

Ireland

83.5 years (SD=4.9)

86% female

Int N 20

Con N 20 

90%

Weekly

for 12 weeks

Global cognition

Quality of life

MMSE

CSDD

CBS

Akanuma 2010 [59]

Japan

78.0 years (SD=4.9)

77–88% female

Int N 12

Con N 12

-

0, 3 months

Global function

Depression

Behavioural condition

Metabolic function

MMSE

GDS

BRSE

CT / MRI

Dodge 2015 [60]

USA

80.5 years (SD=6.8)

75.9% female

Int 1 N 24

Con 1 N 25

Int 2 N 17

Con 2 N 17

100%

0, 2, 12 weeks

Executive function

Learning and memory

Depression

Letter fluency (F, A, S), TMT‐A, TMT‐B, Category fluency (Animals), Stroop test

Word list acquisition, Word list delayed recall,

One, two back accuracy

GDS-15

Gudex 2010 [61]

Denmark

82.3 years (SD=9.7)

68% female 

Int N 171

Con N 177

68%

0, 6, 12 months

Global cognition

General functioning

Agitated Behavior

Quality of life 

MMSE, SIB-S

GBS

CMAI

ADRQoL

Iizuka 2018 [62]

Japan

76.7 years (SD=4.5)

75% female

Int 1 N 27

Int 2 N 26

Con N 28

88.8%

0, 12 weeks

Global cognition

Wellbeing

Visual working memory

Verbal working memory

Immediate/delayed memory recall

Executive function 

MMSE‐J, MoCA‐J

WHO‐5‐J

VMST

DST

LM I / LM II

TMT‐A, TMT‐B, CF 

Meléndez-Moral 2013 [63]

Spain

79.8 years (SD=9.3)

83.3% female

Int N 17

Con N 17

-

0, 3 months

General cognition

Depression

Self-esteem

Life satisfaction

Well-being

MMSE

GDS

RSS/RSES

PGCMS

RS

Mortimer 2012 [64]

China

69.5 years (SD=5.8)

66.6% female

Int 1 N 30

Int 2 N 30

Int 3 N 30

Con 1 N 30

89 %

0, 20, 40 weeks

General cognition

Executive function

Confrontation naming

Visual selective focused attention

Visual memory

Immediate & delayed memory

Whole brain volume

Number of steps 

DRS

CDT, Stroop Test (color-word), TMT‐A, TMT‐B, CFT, WAIS-R

BNT

Bell cancellation Test

ROCF

AVLT

MRI

Pedometer

Nakatsuka 2015 [65]

Japan

81.5 years (SD=3.9)

54% female

Int 1 N 45

Int 2 N 38

Int 3 N 44

74.8 %

0, 12 weeks

Global cognition

Executive function

Depression

Wellbeing

Physical ability

Enjoyableness of the intervention 

MMSE, CDR

WF, TMT-A

GDS

QOL

6-meter walk time

PRO

Park 2014 [66]

USA

71.6 years (SD=7.3)

73.9% female 

Int 1 N 29

Int 2 N 35

Int 3 N 42

Con 1 N 36

Con 2 N 39

Con 3 N 40 

85%

0, 12 weeks

Processing speed

Mental control

Episodic memory

Visuospatial processing

Digit-comparison tasks with three, six, and nine items

Cogstate Identification

Flanker Center Letter, Arrow and Symbol tasks

CANTAB (VRM) / HVLT (immediate, delayed)

CANTAB (SWM), SPM

Peña 2014 [67]

Spain

68.0 years (SD=6.4)

39% female

Int N 22

Con N 22

95%

0, 3 months

Patients’ premorbid IQ

Global cognition

Parkinson’s disease

Depression

Neuropsychiatric symptoms

Functional disability

Apathy

TAP

MMSE

UPDRS

GDS

NPI-Q

WHO-DAS II

LARS

Pitkala 2011 [68]

Finland

80.0 years (SD=3.6)

73.6% female

Int 1 N 24

Con 1 N 24

Int 2 N 46

Con 2 N 46

Int 3 N 47

Con 3 N 48

88%

0, 3, 6, 12 months

Global cognition

Depression

ADAS–Cog

15D

Tanaka 2012 [69]

Japan

73.4 years (SD=4.9)

100% female

Int N 20

Con N 20

85%

0, 4, 8 weeks

Global cognition

Depression

MMSE

GDS-15

Tesky 2011 [70]

Germany

72.0 years (SD=7.0)

73% female

Int 1 N 74

Int 2 N 56

Con N 78 

78%

1, 12, 32 weeks

Global cognition

Executive function 

MMSE / ADAS–Cog / CDR / SDS

TMT

Vidovich 2015 [71]

Australia

75.0 (SD=5.8)

43% female

Int N 80

Con N 80

80%

0, 10, 52, 104 weeks

Global cognition

Memory

Attention

Executive function

MMSE

CAMCOG-R

CVLT-II

WAIS-R, COWAT

Zimmermann 2014 [72]

Brazil

68.2 years (SD=3.8)

-

Int N 10

Con N 10

70%

Weekly for 12 weeks 

Depression

Global cognition

Attention

Communication

Executive function

GDS-15/ NEUPSILIN

MMSE

WAIS-III

MCEB

FDG–PET scans

  1. Abbreviations: 15D 15 Dimensions Measures of Health Related Quality of Life, ADAS–Cog Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale, ADRQL Alzheimer Disease Related Quality of Life, AVLT Auditory Verbal Learning Test, BNT Boston Naming Test, CAMCI Computer Assessment of Mild Cognitive Impairment, CANTAB Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery, CCI Charlson Comorbidity Index, CDR Clinical Dementia Rating, CDT Clock-Drawing Test, CFT Category Verbal Fluency, CMAI Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory, Con Control Group, DRS Mattis Dementia Rating Scale, DST The Digit Span Test, GBS Gottfries-Bråne-Steen scale, GDS-15 Geriatric Depression Scale, Int Intervention Group, LM The Logical Memory I (immediate) II (delayed), MMSE Mini Mental State Examination, MoCA The Montreal Cognitive Assessment, MRI Magnetic Resonance Imaging, NEO Big-5 Personality Inventory, O Objective Measure, PRO Patient-Reported Outcome, QOL Quality of Life, RCT Randomized Controlled Trial, ROCF Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure, S Self-reported Data, SD Standard Deviation, SIB-S Severe Impairment Battery – Short Form, SPM Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices, SWM Spatial Working Memory, TMT-A Trail Making Test A, TMT-B Trail Making Test B, VMST Visual Memory Span Test, VRM Verbal Recognition Memory Task, WAIS-R Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, WF Word Fluency, WHO‐5‐J Five Well‐Being Index Japanese version