1852 The effectiveness of structured physical activity on agitation for people living with dementia: a rapid review

Managing agitation and other behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) is a significant challenge and impacts on quality of life for people living with dementia. The priority is to find effective non-pharmacological interventions as drug treatments can have significant side effects.

This review evaluates the effectiveness of structured physical activity on agitation in people living with dementia

A rapid review of the literature was carried out following PRISMA guidelines. Four electronic databases were searched (Cochrane CENTRAL, MEDLINE, CINAHL and Embase) looking for interventional studies that used a structured physical activity programme in people with a diagnosis of dementia, studied the effects of this activity on BPSD and compared this with a control group that did not follow an exercise programme.

From 112 identified articles, 13 were included in this review, involving a total of 1546 participants. The results were analysed and synthesised according to the type of exercise intervention (aerobic, multicomponent or strength training) and by the frequency and intensity of the intervention. Quality assessment using CAPS guidelines indicated four studies as higher quality with seven being of moderate quality. The results showed that aerobic exercise in particular appears to be effective in reducing agitation and those studies with higher adherence to exercise tended to demonstrate more positive effects on agitation and BPSD.

There is evidence that physical activity can be effective in the reduction of agitation in older adults with a dementia diagnosis. Further research is needed to clarify the type of intervention that is most beneficial and strategies to make physical activity more acceptable and available to older people with dementia need to be es established.