Author(s): GRECO, F., COSCO, L.F., AFZAL, M., GUARASCIO, G., LIA, C.G., ORANGES, F.P., MANCINI, A., MARTONE, D., VITUCCI, D., ALFIERI, A., BUONO, P., QUINZI, F., TARSITANO, M.G., EMERENZIANI, G.P., Institution: UNIVERSITY OF CATANZARO , Country: ITALY, Abstract-ID: 2223

INTRODUCTION:
Identifying exercise modalities that promote long-term participation is a key challenge in exercise prescription for older adults. Social dance represents a multimodal physical activity (i.e., combining rhythmic movement, coordination, and social interaction) typically performed at low-to-moderate intensity. While dance practice may be insufficient to induce substantial physiological adaptations, its role in influencing health-related perceptions could be relevant. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of a 6-month social dance program on perceived health status in older adults.
METHODS:
Fifty older adults were allocated to a dance group (DG, n = 25; age:74.4 ± 6.5 years) or a control group (CG, n = 25; age: 70.1 ± 7.3 years). The DG performed a supervised social dance training program two times per week for 6 months at low-to-moderate intensity, whereas the CG was instructed to maintain an active lifestyle without structured exercise participation. The Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) was administered to measure the level of self-reported physical activity and the EuroQol Visual Analogue Scale (EQ-VAS) to assess perceived health status at baseline (T0) and post-intervention (T1).
RESULTS:
Percentages of adherence to the DG and CG protocols were 62% and 60%, respectively. A significant time × group interaction was observed for EQ-VAS scores (p < 0.05). At T1, the DG reported higher perceived health status compared with the CG (76.0 ± 13.6 vs 68.4 ± 19.4 score). A significant main effect of time on PASE score was found. PASE scores were significantly higher at T1 than at T0 in both groups (p < 0.01). No exercise-related adverse events were reported during the intervention period.
CONCLUSION:
Six months of social dance training improved perceived health status in older adults compared to maintaining an active lifestyle only. Despite the relatively low exercise intensity, social dance may represent a viable complementary exercise modality capable of enhancing subjective health perception and supporting exercise participation in ageing populations.