Background: Aquatic exercise programs may improve functionality and cognition in older adults. In addition, aquatic exercise has shown greater increases in acute cerebral blood flow than similar land-based activities. However, it remains unclear whether incorporating cognitive tasks during exercise enhances these benefits without compromising functional gains. Aim: To investigate the effects of aquatic exercise with and without cognitive tasks on short-term memory and functional mobility in older women. Methods: This randomized clinical trial (WaterCog Study, NCT07156708) was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Older women were randomized into three groups: aquatic exercise with cognitive tasks (AEC), conventional aquatic exercise (AE), or a control group (CG). The AEC and AE groups completed a 12-week program (twice weekly, 45 min/session), with aerobic exercises of similar intensity and volume. The AEC group additionally performed cognitive tasks in a dual-task format. Pre- and post-intervention assessments included the Digit Span Test Forward (DST) and the Timed Up and Go test (TUG), performed with and without a dual task (DT). Data are presented as mean±SD and effect sizes (Hedges` g). Results: Preliminary data included 24 participants (65.0±3.8 years; AEC: n=8; AE: n=8; CG: n=8). After the intervention, DST scores were maintained across groups, with trivial-to-small effect sizes for the AEC (g=0.177) and AE (g=0.099) groups versus CG. TUG-DT and TUG performance were also maintained, with trivial-to-small effect sizes for the AEC (g=0.005 and g=0.047, respectively) and AE (g=0.098 and g=0.286, respectively) groups versus CG. Mean adherence was 74.0±16.1% and 87.0±12.4% in the AEC and AE groups, respectively. Conclusions: Preliminary findings indicate minimal effects of aquatic exercise programs, with or without cognitive tasks, on short-term memory and functional mobility in older women after 12 weeks. These findings should be interpreted in light of the study`s preliminary nature, small sample size, and relatively short intervention period.
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