The utility and cultural specificity of cognitive-based interventions in preventing cognitive decline among healthy older adults in Asia: A systematic review

•A region-wide review of the utility of cognitive-based interventions among older adults in Asia.•Cognitive-based interventions are most effective when targeted for specific cognitive domains.•Long-term follow-up measurement of clinical-level cognitive decline among older adults currently lacking.•Cultural specificity in Asia-based interventions is likely but needs to be standardized clearly. The effects of aging and its associated cognitive decline is particularly acute in Asia given the exponential growth of older adults as a proportion of the population as a whole. Many structured cognitive interventions have been proposed to prevent the cognitive decline typically seen in older age, but their utility as a viable means of achieving these goals is questionable. To summarize and synthesize evidence on the utility and methodological quality of cognitive-based interventions on cognitive performance and associated secondary outcomes among healthy older adults in Asia, as well as novel, culture-specific components of cognitive interventions across the region. The PubMed/Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, and ScienceDirect databases were searched through May 2020. Studies including individuals aged 60 years and above, who had no previous history of physical and/or mental illness. Few restrictions placed on intervention design, duration and mode of delivery, provided that participants were randomized to study conditions, and intervention included components addressing at least one cognitive domain. A total of 17 studies from six countries met the eligibility criteria and were included in the final review. Evidence from those studies indicated that cognitive interventions may be most effective when the design and aims were directed towards improvement in specific cognitive domains, but evidence regarding long-term effectiveness in preventing progression to clinical-level cognitive deficits is still unclear. Several studies highlighted culture-specific activities as components of their interventions, though these will need to be further outlined and standardized clearly in future research.