Using Conjoint Analysis to Investigate Preferences in Horticultural Therapy Programs for Older Adults with Dementia

Background and objective: This study used conjoint analysis to investigate the preferences for various components of a horticultural therapy program for older adults with dementia (OAD). The results of the analysis were used to identify theperceptions and preferences of OAD for horticultural therapy programs to alleviate dementia symptoms, and to provide a basis for the introduction of such programs to alleviate dementia symptoms in OAD. Methods: In this study, a survey was orthogonally designed through SPSS Statistics with four main attributes (intervention goals, number of sessions per week, total number of sessions, and time per session), and profiles that could be presented according to the level of the attributes. The survey was conducted over a 31-day period from January 29 to February 28, 2024, with an offline survey and an online survey, in which 16 profiles were presented to the participants and they were asked to prioritize their preferences and give a score on a 5-point scale. Results: First, when analyzing preferences by attribute, the importance of each attribute was highest for number of sessions per week (28.5%), followed by intervention goals (25.7%), time per session (23.0%), and total number of sessions (22.8%; Pearson’s R = .892, p < .001). Second, once a week (.079) was most preferred for the number of sessions per week, psycho-emotional area (.145) for intervention goals, 60 minutes or less (.125) for time per session, and 10 sessions or less (.097) for total sessions. Conclusion: Dementia facility staff, family caregivers, and horticultural therapists of OAD preferred the following components of horticultural therapy programs for OAD: once a week for number of sessions per week; psychological and emotional domain for intervention goals; 60 minutes or less for time per session; and 10 sessions or less for total number of sessions. It is expected these findings can be used as a basis for developing horticultural therapy programs to alleviate dementia symptoms in OAD.