DanceOn50+: Effects of a Dance Program on Physical and Psycho-emotional Health

NCT07158866 | Active Not Recruiting DMC

• 1 other identifier: CEFADE 31_2023
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 110
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Aging is associated with a decline in physical and cognitive function affecting autonomy and the ability to perform daily living activities. Interventions aiming the promotion of healthy aging and life-long learning are required to improve physical and cognitive health in a social context. Dance is a cultural and physical activity that can be well adapted for older adults. Dance might counteract physical and cognitive functional decline and promotes social and emotional interactions. Importantly, dance can be individually adjusted in terms of physical fitness and cultural background. However, to date, there is a lack of research on the effects of a dance intervention with older adults setting to promote healthy aging and lifelong learning. Thus, this research project aims to explore the impact of a dance-based intervention with older adults from the community on physical, cognitive and psycho-emotional health while simultaneously generating inclusive artistic experiences and lifelong learning opportunities. The study includes a quantitative quasi-experimental design. The study sample consists of healthy individuals from the community aged ≥ 50 years recruited through community programs and social media platforms. Those who agree to participate will be informed of the project objectives and procedures. Participation in the study is voluntary, and all participants will be required to sign a voluntary informed consent form. Participants will be assigned to a dance training group, Multicomponent Exercise Group or the control group (no intervention). Outcomes will be measured using the Astrand Cycle Ergometer Submaximal Test, Open Circuit Pirometer Technique, Battery Senior Fitness Test, Isokinetic Dynamometer and Handgrip Dynamometer to assess physical fitness, Accelerometer, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index to assess physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep; psychoemotional questionnaires validated on Portuguese subjects to assess psychoemotional variables; tape measure and bioeletric impedance balance to assess body composition; digital sphygmomanometer and spirometry to assess cardiovascular and respiratory function; neurocognitive and psychological tests to assess cognitive function; and electroencephalography to assess electrophysiology.

Conditions

Physical Activity; Physical Fitness; Well Being

Keywords

Active aging; Physical fitness; Cognitive health; Psycho-emotional health

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (20)

• Psychological testing (Depression) - GDS

  The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS, short version) will be used to assess depressive symptoms. The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), short version, is a self-report instrument developed specifically to screen for depressive symptoms in older adults. The short version consists of 15 yes/no questions, selected from the original 30-item version, and is designed to minimize the influence of somatic symptoms that may overlap with physical ageing processes. Its simplicity and clarity make it especially suitable for older populations, including those with mild cognitive impairments. This tool has been widely validated across various settings and cultures, demonstrating good sensitivity and specificity for detecting clinically relevant depressive symptoms in the elderly. Scores range from 0 to 15, with higher scores indicating greater depressive symptomatology. Cut-off points commonly used are: 0-4 (normal), 5-8 (mild depression), 9-11 (moderate depression), and 12-15 (severe depression). In

  Baseline, 6 months

• Psychological testing (Anxiety) - EADS-21

  Anxiety symptoms will be assessed using the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS), also known as Escala de Ansiedade de Hamilton (EADS) in its Portuguese version. The HARS is a clinician-administered scale that evaluates the severity of anxiety symptoms across psychological and physical domains. It is widely recognized for its high reliability and validity, and is used in both clinical and research settings. The scale consists of 14 items that assess various aspects of anxiety, such as tension, fears, insomnia, cognitive impairment, somatic complaints, and autonomic symptoms. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from 0 (absent) to 4 (severe). The total score can range from 0 to 56, with higher scores indicating more severe levels of anxiety. The commonly used classification is as follows: 0-17: Mild anxiety 18-24: Moderate anxiety 25-56: Severe anxiety

  Baseline, 6 months

• Peak oxygen uptake (VO2 peak)

  The Astrand Cycle Ergometer - This sub-maximal test with incremental protocol and performed on a ergometer, standard an open-circuit spirometer technique (Cosmed K5b2, Cosmed, Rome, Italy) will be used.

  Baseline, 6 months

• Lower-body strength and power

  The knee extensors and flexors will be evaluated using an isokinetic dynamometer at two different angular velocities: 60°/s and 180°/s.

  Baseline, 6 months

• Physical-Functional Fitness (strength of the lower and upper body)

  Physical-functional fitness is going to be measured via the Senior Fitness Test (SFT). This physical battery includes lower and upper-body strength (30-second chair stand and 30-second arm curl tests, respectively), agility/dynamic balance (8-foot up-and-go test), aerobic endurance (six-minute walk test) and lower and upper-body flexibility (chair sit-and-reach and back scratch tests, respectively). The chair stand test to assess the strength of the lower body, counting the number of repetitions made in 30s. And the arm curl test to assess the strength on the upper body, using a 3lb (women) and 5lb (men) dumbbell, counting the number of repetitions made in 30s.

  Baseline, 3 months, 6 months

• Physical-Functional Fitness (agility/dynamic balance)

  Physical-functional fitness is going to be measured via the Senior Fitness Test (SFT). This physical battery includes lower and upper-body strength (30-second chair stand and 30-second arm curl tests, respectively), agility/dynamic balance (8-foot up-and-go test), aerobic endurance (six-minute walk test) and lower and upper-body flexibility (chair sit-and-reach and back scratch tests, respectively). The stand up, walk 8-foot distance (2,44 meters), turn the cone marker around and return to the seated position. The time, in seconds, necessary to complete this test will be registered.

  Baseline, 3 months, 6 months

• Physical-Functional Fitness (aerobic endurance)

  Physical-functional fitness is going to be measured via the Senior Fitness Test (SFT). This physical battery includes lower and upper-body strength (30-second chair stand and 30-second arm curl tests, respectively), agility/dynamic balance (8-foot up-and-go test), aerobic endurance (six-minute walk test) and lower and upper-body flexibility (chair sit-and-reach and back scratch tests, respectively). The stand up, walk 8-foot distance (2,44 meters), turn the cone marker around and return to the seated position. The time, in seconds, necessary to complete this test will be registered.

  Baseline, 3 months, 6 months

• Physical-Functional Fitness (flexibility of the lower and upper-body)

  Physical-functional fitness is going to be measured via the Senior Fitness Test (SFT). This physical battery includes lower and upper-body strength (30-second chair stand and 30-second arm curl tests, respectively), agility/dynamic balance (8-foot up-and-go test), aerobic endurance (six-minute walk test) and lower and upper-body flexibility (chair sit-and-reach and back scratch tests, respectively). The chair sit-\&-reach test to assess the flexibility of the lower-body, measured in cm. And The back scratch test to assess flexibility on the upper-body, measured in cm.

  Baseline, 3 months, 6 months

• Handgrip strength

  The handgrip strength will be measured with a Jamar Plus + Digital hand dynamometer (Sammons Preston Inc., Bolingbrook, Illinois, USA). Measurements will be carried out following the American Society of Hand Therapists recommendations, and each participant will perform three attempts with a pause of 1 min between them. Three attempts will be made for each hand, using the maximum value of the three registers.

  Baseline, 3 months, 6 months

• Sociodemographic Assessments

  Age (years), academic level (primary, secondary, bachelor, master, PhD), civil status (married, separated, widow, single, others), number of medications, diagnosed diseases.

  Baseline

• Body mass

  Body mass (kg) will be analyzed with bioimpedance balance.

  Baseline, 6 months

• World Health Organization Quality of Life - WHOQOL - BREF

  To assess participants perceived quality of life, the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) will be used. This validated instrument consists of 26 items that measure four key domains: Physical Health, Psychological Health, Social Relationships, and Environment. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale, and scores for each domain are calculated by summing specific items, then transforming the raw scores into a scale from 0 to 100, where higher scores indicate better perceived quality of life.

  Baseline, 6 months

• Life Satisfaction - SWLS

  To assess overall life satisfaction, the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) will be administered. This instrument includes 5 items that reflect a global evaluation of an individual's life according to their own criteria and values. In this study, responses will be rated on a 6-point Likert scale ranging from 0 ("Strongly disagree") to 5 ("Strongly agree"), resulting in a total score ranging from 0 to 25. Higher scores indicate greater satisfaction with life. Interpretation of total scores typically follows these cut-offs: 0-4 (Extremely dissatisfied), 5-9 (Dissatisfied), 10-14 (Slightly dissatisfied), 15 (Neutral), 16-19 (Slightly satisfied), 20-22 (Satisfied), and 23-25 (Extremely satisfied).

  Baseline, 6 months

• Loneliness - UCLA-16

  To assess perceived social isolation, this study will use the Portuguese-adapted version of the UCLA Loneliness Scale comprising 16 items. This version was culturally and linguistically validated for the Portuguese population, particularly in older adults, ensuring conceptual equivalence while excluding or modifying items less relevant in this context. Each item is rated on a 4-point Likert scale ranging from 1 ("Never") to 4 ("Often"). Total scores range from 16 to 64, with higher scores indicating greater perceived loneliness. The scale assesses key dimensions of loneliness, including feelings of social disconnectedness, lack of companionship, and emotional isolation.

  Baseline, 6 months

• Positive and Negative Affect - PANAS

  To evaluate affective states, the study will use the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), a validated self-report instrument measuring two distinct dimensions of mood: Positive Affect (PA) and Negative Affect (NA). The PANAS consists of 20 items, with 10 items assessing PA-enthusiastic, interested, alert, inspired, determined, attentive, active, proud, excited, and strong-and 10 items assessing NA-distressed, upset, guilty, scared, hostile, irritable, ashamed, nervous, jittery, and afraid. Participants rate how much they have experienced each emotion over a specified time frame on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 ("Very slightly or not at all") to 5 ("Extremely"). Scores for each subscale are summed separately, with possible ranges of 10 to 50. Higher PA scores indicate greater positive emotional engagement, while higher NA scores reflect higher levels of distress and negative emotional experience.

  Baseline, 6 months

• Physical Activity

  Physical Activity will be tested by Accelerometer-based activity monitors GT3X+ Link (ActiGraph)

  Baseline, 6 months

• Sleep Quality - PSQI-PT

  To assess sleep quality, the study will use the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index - Portuguese version (PSQI-PT), a widely validated self-report questionnaire designed to measure sleep quality and disturbances over a one-month period. The PSQI-PT consists of 19 items, which generate seven component scores assessing different dimensions of sleep: subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, use of sleeping medication, and daytime dysfunction. Each component is scored from 0 to 3, and the sum of these yields a global score ranging from 0 to 21. Higher scores indicate poorer sleep quality, with a commonly used cut-off of \>5 to distinguish poor sleepers from good sleepers.

  Baseline, 6 months

• fat-free mass

  fat-free mass (kg), will be analyzed with bioimpedence balance.

  baseline, months

• fat mass

  fat mass (%) will be analyzed with bioimpedance balance.

  baseline, 6 months

• BMI - Body Mass Index

  BMI (Kg/m\^2) will be analyzed with bioimpedance balance.

  baseline, 6 months

Secondary Outcomes (9)

• Cognitive performance (Memory)

  Baseline, 6 months

• Cognitive performance (Selective recall test)

  Baseline, 6 months

• Cognitive performance (Verbal short-term memory)

  Baseline, 6 months

• Cognitive performance (Inhibition/cognitive flexibility)

  Baseline, 6 months

• Cognitive performance (Processing speed)

  Baseline, 6 months

Study Arms (3)

Ballroom dance Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: Ballroom Dance

Multicomponent Exercise Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: Multicomponent Exercise

control group

NO INTERVENTION

Participants from the control group will participate in all assesments moments and will be asked to maintain their usual activities. At the end of intervention period, the contol group will be invited to participate in a physical activity program.

Interventions

Ballroom Dance BEHAVIORAL

The intervention will involve twice-weekly dance sessions, lasting 45 minutes each, for 6 months. Each session will include: 1. Rhythmic warm-up with music. 2. Combination of aerobic, resistance, and coordination exercises. 3. Technical development and learning of dance routines. 4. Cool down with free-body movements to slow music.

Ballroom dance Group

Multicomponent Exercise BEHAVIORAL

The Multicomponent Exercise intervention will target several physical fitness components simultaneously, including strength, balance, and aerobic fitness. The program will consist of twice-weekly sessions, each lasting 45 minutes, for 6 months. Each session will include: 1. Warm-up with light stretching and joint mobility exercises. 2. Balance exercises 3. Strength training exercises 4. Aerobic exercises 5. Cool down with flexibility and relaxation exercises.

Multicomponent Exercise Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 50 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• years or over;
• informed consent signed;
• not be institutionalized;
• not participating in any type of physical exercise program in the last 3 months.

You may not qualify if:

• absence of dementia;
• unstable cardiovascular disease or musculoskeletal dysfunction that makes participation in moderate-intensity exercises impossible

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Universidade do Porto: lead

Study Sites (1)

CIAFEL

Porto, Porto District, 4200-450, Portugal

Location

Related Publications (17)

• Rodrigues-Krause J, Krause M, Reischak-Oliveira A. Dancing for Healthy Aging: Functional and Metabolic Perspectives. Altern Ther Health Med. 2019 Jan;25(1):44-63.

  PMID: 29428927 BACKGROUND

• Vaccaro MG, Izzo G, Ilacqua A, Migliaccio S, Baldari C, Guidetti L, Lenzi A, Quattrone A, Aversa A, Emerenziani GP. Characterization of the Effects of a Six-Month Dancing as Approach for Successful Aging. Int J Endocrinol. 2019 Jun 17;2019:2048391. doi: 10.1155/2019/2048391. eCollection 2019.

  PMID: 31316562 BACKGROUND

• 19- Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee, 2018. Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee Scientific Report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

  BACKGROUND

• Rehfeld K, Luders A, Hokelmann A, Lessmann V, Kaufmann J, Brigadski T, Muller P, Muller NG. Dance training is superior to repetitive physical exercise in inducing brain plasticity in the elderly. PLoS One. 2018 Jul 11;13(7):e0196636. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0196636. eCollection 2018.

  PMID: 29995884 BACKGROUND

• Wilde NJ, Strauss E, Chelune GJ, Hermann BP, Hunter M, Loring DW, Martin RC, Sherman EM. Confirmatory factor analysis of the WMS-III in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. Psychol Assess. 2003 Mar;15(1):56-63. doi: 10.1037/1040-3590.15.1.56.

  PMID: 12674724 BACKGROUND

• Buschke H, Sliwinski M, Kuslansky G, Lipton RB. Aging, encoding specificity, and memory change in the Double Memory Test. J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 1995 Sep;1(5):483-93. doi: 10.1017/s1355617700000576.

  PMID: 9375233 BACKGROUND

• Morris JC, Heyman A, Mohs RC, Hughes JP, van Belle G, Fillenbaum G, Mellits ED, Clark C. The Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD). Part I. Clinical and neuropsychological assessment of Alzheimer's disease. Neurology. 1989 Sep;39(9):1159-65. doi: 10.1212/wnl.39.9.1159.

  PMID: 2771064 BACKGROUND

• Del Rio Joao KA, Becker NB, de Neves Jesus S, Isabel Santos Martins R. Validation of the Portuguese version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI-PT). Psychiatry Res. 2017 Jan;247:225-229. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2016.11.042. Epub 2016 Nov 28.

  PMID: 27923147 BACKGROUND

• Watson D, Clark LA, Tellegen A. Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: the PANAS scales. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1988 Jun;54(6):1063-70. doi: 10.1037//0022-3514.54.6.1063.

  PMID: 3397865 BACKGROUND

• 10- Pocinho, M., Farate, C. & Dias, C., (2010). Validação Psicométrica da Escala UCLA-Lonliness para Idosos Portugueses. Interções. 65-77.

  BACKGROUND

• Diener E, Emmons RA, Larsen RJ, Griffin S. The Satisfaction With Life Scale. J Pers Assess. 1985 Feb;49(1):71-5. doi: 10.1207/s15327752jpa4901_13.

  PMID: 16367493 BACKGROUND

• 8- World Health Organization. (2021). Obesity and Overweight. Retrieved July 2023 from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight

  BACKGROUND

• 6-Nagata, C. d. A., Hamu, T. C. D. d. S., Neri, S. G. R., Lima, R. M., & Garcia, P. A. (2023). Association between isokinetic strength measures and functional performance in community-dwelling older adults. Fisioterapia e Pesquisa, 30, e22014323en

  BACKGROUND

• 5- Krekula, C., Pleasure and time in senior dance: bringing temporality into focus in the field of ageing. Ageing and Society, 2020: p. 1-16.

  BACKGROUND

• Cruz-Ferreira A, Marmeleira J, Formigo A, Gomes D, Fernandes J. Creative Dance Improves Physical Fitness and Life Satisfaction in Older Women. Res Aging. 2015 Nov;37(8):837-55. doi: 10.1177/0164027514568103. Epub 2015 Jan 29.

  PMID: 25651595 BACKGROUND

• Krekula C, Arvidson M, Heikkinen S, Henriksson A, Olsson E. On gray dancing: Constructions of age-normality through choreography and temporal codes. J Aging Stud. 2017 Aug;42:38-45. doi: 10.1016/j.jaging.2017.07.001. Epub 2017 Aug 8.

  PMID: 28918820 BACKGROUND

• 1- Pais-Ribeiro, J. L., Honrado, A., & Leal, I. (2004). Contribuição Para O Estudo Da Adaptação Portuguesa Das Escalas De Ansiedade , Depressão E Stress ( Eads ) De 21 Itens De Lovibond E Lovibond. Psicologia, Saúde & Doenças, 5(2), 229-239.

  BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Motor Activity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Study Officials

• José Magalhães, PhD

  Faculty of Sport, University of Porto

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: Physical Activity Intervention (Dance Classes and Multicomponent exercises)

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 11, 2025
• First Posted: September 8, 2025
• Study Start: July 15, 2025
• Primary Completion: August 1, 2025
• Study Completion: January 31, 2026
• Last Updated: September 8, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-07

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

PT (1)