{"id":4983,"date":"2022-09-12T12:59:15","date_gmt":"2022-09-12T04:59:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/nmsc\/?p=4983"},"modified":"2022-09-12T14:16:31","modified_gmt":"2022-09-12T06:16:31","slug":"choir-singing-improve-cognitive-outcomes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/nmsc\/choir-singing-improve-cognitive-outcomes\/","title":{"rendered":"Choir Singing to Improve Cognitive Outcomes"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2021, it is estimated that there are 92,000 people living with dementia in Singapore. The Ministry of Health (MOH) predicts that number to increase to 152,000 by 2030. Now, more than ever, there is a compelling need for preventive interventions to prevent and delay the symptoms of dementia.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mind Science Centre has been on a mission to study various psychosocial interventions to slow or delay cognitive decline. As part of that project, we embarked on a study to compare the health benefits of choral singing to health education in preventing dementia.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Choir Singing?<\/span><\/h1>\n

\"senior<\/p>\n

Choir singing is a cost-effective multi-domain activity that is widely accepted across the globe. The idea for a clinical study was first suggested by Dr Maurine Tsakok, a member of the NUS Society Choir and a former NUS Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. <\/span><\/p>\n

Our literature review found that there have been numerous studies which suggest the benefits of singing and music interventions for the elderly (Tan et al., 2018). A study found that choir singing brought significant changes in mental health factors including quality of life, anxiety, and depression.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition, choir singing is multi-dimensional in that it involves physical, cognitive, social, and affective components. Researchers theorize that this might grant better benefits than activities that target only one single domain. <\/span><\/p>\n

Mind Science Centre\u2019s 2-Year Randomised Controlled Trial<\/span><\/h1>\n

Our study involved 93 community-dwelling, non-demented seniors who were randomly assigned to two parallel arms:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  • <\/span>Choral Singing Intervention (CSI) or,<\/span><\/li>\n
  • <\/span>Health Education Programme (HEP)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    \u00a0<\/span>The study lasted for 2 years in which participants had to join weekly one-hour sessions of their assigned intervention (Feng et al., 2020).<\/span><\/p>\n