Background/Purpose
This investigation examined the influence of ballroom dance upon balance and psychosocial factors because most research on the benefits of physical activity has focused on traditional forms of exercise such as running, walking, or resistance training.
Method Participants included 71 healthy adults over 60 years of age with no cardiovascular problems or balance impairments and have had no formal dance training, randomly separated into the control or dance group. The dance group participated in two 75 minute ballroom dance lessons per week for a period of 12 weeks. Both groups completed pre- and post- tests assessing their dynamic and static balance and psychosocial factors.
Analysis/Results Two-way repeated measure ANOVAs were used to identify significant differences with all of the dependent variables. As indicated by the responses on the surveys, both groups were very satisfied and confident with their ability to carry out their ADLS and avoid falls. These high initial scores may explain in part why no significant effects were found upon balance self-efficacy or well-being. Significant effects were found on dynamic balance, but not static balance. The dance group performed with significantly more control in most directions following the intervention and did so using significantly less support from the arm rails.
Conclusions Ballroom dance can be a fun, social activity that can improve balance control. Future research should examine the benefits of ballroom dance in specialized populations because it is possible that more improvements would be found for individuals who are not as healthy and/or have balance problems.