The FINGER Model - Preventing Cognitive Decline and Promoting Health of Older People.

Summary

Cognitive impairment and dementia can cause considerable suffering, both for the person affected and for next of kin. They also pose major challenges for health and social care. At the same time, research shows that many risk factors for cognitive decline can, in fact, be influenced. This is particularly the case when several areas are addressed simultaneously, such as physical activity, healthy eating habits, mental stimulation, social connectedness, and good cardiovascular health. A well-known model for such a multidomain preventive intervention is the FINGER model: the Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability. In the randomized controlled FINGER study, the results showed that a two-year programme comprising diet, exercise, cognitive training, social activity, and structured monitoring of vascular risk factors could improve and maintain cognitive function among older people at increased risk of cognitive decline. However, the research evidence is not unequivocal. Other randomized studies found no effect on cognitive outcomes over three years in the studied population, and in a cluster-randomized study reported no clear effects on the incidence of dementia in the older population. In addition, studies are needed that follow changes when the model is implemented in clinical practice. In recent years, the FINGER model has also been adapted and tested in several countries through the FINGER network, with the aim of developing and evaluating interventions that work in different contexts, while also strengthening knowledge and enabling comparisons of results between countries. A recently published qualitative study showed that participants were often motivated by an expectation of personal benefit, both for brain health and physical health, but also by concerns about cognitive decline. Social aspects also played an important role, as did the need for the interventions to feel understandable and for lifestyle changes to be perceived as realistic and feasible in everyday life.

The overall aim of the project is to evaluate a municipality-initiated, health-promoting multicomponent programme, based on the FINGER model, for older people, with a focus on health, health-related quality of life, well-being, and lifestyle habits (group A), and to compare it with a programme with fewer components (group B) implemented in the municipality. Furthermore, the aim is to explore older people's experiences of participating in the project, as well as how older people in the study rate their health and well-being before, during, and after completing their participation in the project.

The main research questions are:

* How do older people rate their health, health-related quality of life, well-being, and lifestyle habits before, during, and after participation in the municipality's project (groups A and B)?
* What cognitive and physical functional ability do older people have before, during, and after participation in the municipality's project (group A)?
* Are there any differences over time within each group (A and B), and are there any differences over time between the groups in the project?
* Do self-rated health and health-related quality of life in this study population differ from the values reported in a previously published study?
* How do older people experience participating in the project (group A)?

Conditions

• Older People

Interventions

OTHER

FINGER model

The FINGER model, based on a combination of education, physical exercise, dietary interventions, cognitive training, social components, and follow-up of cardiovascular-related factors: * Physical activity: one instructor-led group exercise session per week and one individual exercise session per week, a lecture on physical activity and brain health, and individual programme planning. * Cognitive training: home-based training three times per week for approximately 15 minutes, two practical workshops, and a lecture on cognitive training and brain health. * Diet: a lecture on diet and two practical workshops. * Social interaction: a social gathering in connection with the group exercise session, as well as support in finding associations and activities. * Cardiovascular health: blood sampling and health checks at the start and end of the programme, as well as a lecture on cardiovascular health, including oral health, hearing, and vision * Supportive counselling

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Gavle

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Annakarin Olsson, Associate professor, PhD · University of Gävle

Study Design

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

65 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-06-01

Primary Completion

2028-03-31

Completion

2028-03-31

Countries

• Sweden

Study Locations