Preliminary cognitive effects of a Chinese-language adaptation of a REPRINTS-based picture-book reading workshop among community-dwelling older adults in Singapore

<p>Population aging has increased the need for scalable community-based strategies to support cognitive health among older adults. This study examined the preliminary cognitive effects of a Chinese-language adaptation of a REPRINTS-based picture-book reading workshop in Singapore. Using a controlled pre–post design, 53 community-dwelling adults aged 65 years and older were included: 33 attended a 2-day workshop comprising five 2-h sessions, and 20 formed a control group assessed over a comparable interval. Cognitive function was measured before and after the workshop using a Chinese-language adaptation of the Paper–Pencil Group Cognitive Assessment. Analyses of covariance compared post-intervention cognitive performance between groups while adjusting for baseline cognitive scores, age, sex, and education. After adjustment, the intervention group showed significantly higher total cognitive scores than the control group (β = .19, 95% CI [.04, .34], p = .01). Among five cognitive domains, only language performance was significantly higher in the intervention group (β = .19, 95% CI [.01, .37], p = .04); no significant group differences were observed in attention and speed, memory, visuospatial ability, or abstract thinking. These findings provide preliminary evidence that a Chinese-language REPRINTS-based workshop may be associated with better short-term overall and language-related cognitive performance among older adults in Singapore. Further adaptations into other languages and larger randomized studies with longer follow-up periods are needed.</p>