Effects of a multimodal approach to food art therapy on people with mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia

Abstract

Background Food art therapy (FAT) has multiple modalities in which cognition, emotion, and social changes are stimulated. The purpose of this study was to design a multimodal approach to a food art therapy (MM‐FAT) program and identify its effects on cognitive ability, daily living functioning, depression, self‐esteem, self‐efficacy, self‐expression, and social functioning in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and mild dementia by employing a mixed methods research design. Methods The participants included 39 patients from a public dementia care centre in Seoul, Korea. The intervention group, which comprised 20 participants, received 12 MM‐FAT sessions 3 times a week for 4 weeks, and the control group, which included 19 participants, received usual care. The MM‐FAT program was evaluated based on its effectiveness on cognitive, daily living, emotional, and social functioning outcome measures at three time points using repeated measures analysis of variance. Semi‐structured interviews (n = 9) were conducted to evaluate the overall experience of the MM‐FAT program and its outcomes. Results The findings reveal that MM‐FAT has a positive effect on the cognitive, emotional, and social functioning of individuals with MCI and mild dementia. However, there were no enhancements in individuals' daily living functioning, and the lasting effects of the intervention could not be assessed. Cognition and depression increased significantly at the end of the MM‐FAT program. Self‐expression and self‐efficacy were significantly higher in the MM‐FAT group than in the control group. The semi‐structured interviews revealed improvements in participants' behaviour, communication, and interaction. Conclusion This mixed methods study focused on individuals with MCI or mild dementia contributes to an understanding of the effectiveness of a FAT program employing a multimodal approach. Despite the COVID‐19 pandemic, the study was able to enrich the effects of MM‐FAT on cognitive, emotional, and social functioning through qualitative findings.

Visual art therapy and its effects in older people with mild cognitive impairment: A systematic review

“…22,23,[25][26][27][28] There was an overall positive trend with statistically significant improvement in four studies. 22,23,26,28 Sustained effect was found in two of those studies. 22,28 It was also noted that the measure of depression was consistent across all six studies, with the GDS utilised as the assessment tool.…”

“…The included studies have identified some potential benefits, with improvements reported in cognition (five of seven studies [22][23][24][25][26] ), depressive symptoms (five of six studies 22,23,25,26,28 ) and levels of anxiety (three of three studies 23,25,28 ). However, the more important question of whether the identified benefits are sustained awaits future confirmation with only three studies performing follow up assessments over time following intervention completion.…”

“…For the included RCTs (see Table 3), four of five RCTs performed true randomisation of participants to the treatment group 22,25,27,28 (Question 1), whereas one study did not clearly outline the randomisation process, accounting for one 'unclear' response. 26 Four of five studies had appropriate allocation concealment 22,25,26,28 (Question 2). Four studies had similar participant characteristics in the treatment group at baseline, 22,[26][27][28] with the exception of one study where the control group had a significant larger proportion of working (full-time/parttime/self-employed) 25 (Question 3).…”

“…28 The outcome measure used in all the studies was consistent (Question 10). Two RCTs did not report the details of outcome measurements, including the number of raters and training of raters 26,27 (Question 11). All studies were adequate for questions 12 and 13, with appropriate statistical analysis and appropriate trial designs.…”

“…methods and displayed sustained improvement in cognition at three and 6 months (p < 0.001), 22 measured by the Swahili version of the MoCA. 16 In Lee et al, participants engaged in 12 sessions of FAT showed cognitive improvement sustained at 1 month (p = 0.001), 26 measured by the Korean version of the MoCA. 16 Two studies, Savazzi et al 24 and Yan et al, 23 there was no significant improvement in other neuropsychological components.…”