The effect of dance on physical health and cognition in community dwelling older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Dancing is an attractive form of exercise among older adults and may positively influence physical and psychosocial health. The aim of this systematic review was to synthesize the evidence examining the dance prescription and effectiveness of dance in community dwelling older adults. METHODS: Eight databases were searched to identify randomized controlled trials that evaluated the effectiveness of dance programs on community-dwelling older adults from 2007 to December 2020. Data regarding participants, dance programs and outcomes of interest were extracted and narratively synthesized. A meta-analysis was performed on the outcome data where possible. RESULTS: Twenty-two studies met the inclusion criteria, of those 15 were deemed to be fair quality and 7 high quality using the PEDro scale. Nineteen studies included in the meta-analysis found that dancing can improve mobility and endurance compared to no intervention and afforded equivalent outcomes compared to other exercise programs. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that dance is an effective, safe and viable activity for community-dwelling older adults..

Insights from an early-stage development mixed methods study on arts-based interventions for older adults following hospitalisation.

BACKGROUND: A period of hospitalisation can have negative consequences on physical function and autonomy for older adults, including functional decline, dependency and reduced quality of life. Older adults favour activity that focuses on social connectedness, fun and achievable skills. OBJECTIVE: The primary aim of this early-stage development mixed methods study was to determine the feasibility and acceptability of a randomised crossover trial design and two arts-based interventions tailored for older adults recently discharged from hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Community-dwelling adults, aged 65 years and older, who reported reduced mobility and less than six weeks post discharge from hospital were invited to participate in the study. Two sites were randomised to either a four-week dance or music therapy intervention, followed by a four-week washout and subsequently to the alternate intervention. Participants and stakeholders were interviewed to share their views and perspectives of the study design and interventions developed. RESULTS: The arts-based interventions were acceptable and safe for participants. Randomisation was completed per protocol and no implementation issues were identified. The outcome measures used were acceptable and feasible for this group of patients and did not lead to fatigue or excessive assessment time. Participants were positive about their experience of the programme. CONCLUSIONS: This early development study provides a precursor and several imperative learning points to guide and inform future research in the area. Difficulties in recruitment and attrition were in part due to the barriers encountered when recruiting an incident cohort of vulnerable individuals post hospitalisation.

Dancing for Parkinson Disease: A Randomized Trial of Irish Set Dancing Compared With Usual Care.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the feasibility of a randomized controlled study design and to explore the benefits of a set dancing intervention compared with usual care. DESIGN: Randomized controlled design, with participants randomized to Irish set dance classes or a usual care group. SETTING: Community based. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals with idiopathic Parkinson disease (PD) (N=90). INTERVENTIONS: The dance group attended a 1.5-hour dancing class each week for 10 weeks and undertook a home dance program for 20 minutes, 3 times per week. The usual care group continued with their usual care and daily activities. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was feasibility, determined by recruitment rates, success of randomization and allocation procedures, attrition, adherence, safety, willingness of participants to be randomized, resource availability, and cost. Secondary outcomes were motor function (motor section of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale), quality of life (Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39), functional endurance (6-min walk test), and balance (mini-BESTest). RESULTS: Ninety participants were randomized (45 per group). There were no adverse effects or resource constraints. Although adherence to the dancing program was 93.5%, there was >40% attrition in each group. Postintervention, the dance group had greater nonsignificant gains in quality of life than the usual care group. There was a meaningful deterioration in endurance in the usual care group. There were no meaningful changes in other outcomes. The exit questionnaire showed participants enjoyed the classes and would like to continue participation. CONCLUSIONS: For people with mild to moderately severe PD, set dancing is feasible and enjoyable and may improve quality of life.

Irish set dancing classes for people with Parkinson's disease: The needs of participants and dance teachers.

OBJECTIVE: As the number of people diagnosed with Parkinson's disease increases, there is a need to develop initiatives that promote health and wellbeing and support self-management. Additionally, as exercise may slow physical decline, there is a need to develop methods that facilitate greater engagement with community-based exercise. The aim of this study is to examine the needs of (1) people with Parkinson's disease and (2) set dancing teachers to enable the development of participant-centred community set dance classes. METHODS: A mixed methods study design was used. Two consensus group discussions using nominal group technique were held to (1) identify factors pertaining to the needs of people with Parkinson's disease from a set dance class and (2) the educational needs of set dancing teachers to enable them to teach set dancing to people with Parkinson's disease. Group discussions began with silent generation of ideas. A round-robin discussion and grouping of ideas into broader topic areas followed. Finally, participants ranked, by order of priority (1-5), the topic areas developed. Final data analysis involved summation of participants' ranking scores for each topic area. RESULTS: Rich information on the needs of people with Parkinson's disease from a dance class and the educational guidance sought by set dancing teachers was gathered. Topic areas developed include "teaching method" for set dances and "class environment". CONCLUSION: Accessing community exercise programmes is important for this population. The results of this study will inform the development of an educational resource on Parkinson's disease for set dancing teachers. This resource may facilitate a larger number of teachers to establish sustainable community set dancing classes for people with Parkinson's disease.

Is Irish set dancing feasible for people with Parkinson's disease in Ireland?

OBJECTIVE: To investigate if community-based Irish set dancing is feasible in Irish adults with Parkinson's disease. METHODS: Over an eight week period, ten participants attended one set dancing class per week and completed a home programme in parallel. Feasibility was assessed by monitoring adverse effects, participants' verbal feedback, compliance rates and feedback from an exit questionnaire. Participants were assessed using the Berg balance scale, 6-min walk test, UPDRS-3 and PDQ-39, before and after the intervention. RESULTS: No adverse effects were detected. Attendance at classes was 86%. Compliance with the home programme was 67%. Findings from the exit questionnaire showed participants enjoyed participating and reported improvements in aspects of health including balance. Quality of life improved with the dance programme and there was a trend toward improvement on the UPDRS-3. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest community-based Irish set dancing is a feasible form of exercise that can positively influence quality of life.

Dance for people with Parkinson disease: what is the evidence telling us?

OBJECTIVES: (1) To appraise and synthesize the literature on dance interventions for individuals with Parkinson disease (PD); (2) to provide information regarding the frequency, intensity, duration, and type of dance used in these programs; and (3) to inform the development of future studies evaluating dance interventions in this population. DATA SOURCES: Eight databases (MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature [CINAHL], the Allied and Complementary Medicine Database [AMED], SPORTDiscus, PubMed, PubMed Central, Sage, and ScienceDirect) were electronically searched in April 2014. The references lists from the included articles were also searched. STUDY SELECTION: Studies retrieved during the literature search were reviewed by 2 reviewers independently. Suitable articles were identified by applying inclusion criteria. DATA EXTRACTION: Data regarding participants and the frequency, intensity, duration, and type of dance form used were extracted. The effect that each dance program had on defined outcomes and the feasibility of each program were also reviewed. DATA SYNTHESIS: Thirteen articles were identified. The quality of studies varied, and methodological limitations were evident in some. The evidence evaluated suggests that two 1-hour dance classes per week over 10 to 13 weeks may have beneficial effects on endurance, motor impairment, and balance. CONCLUSIONS: Dance may be helpful for some people with PD. This article provides preliminary information to aid clinicians when implementing dance programs for people with PD. Higher-quality multicenter studies are needed to determine the effect of other dance genres and the optimal therapy volume and intensity.