Effects of Dancing on Cardiovascular and Functional Risk Factors in Older Women.

Summary

The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to investigate the effects of a dance intervention on cardiovascular risk factors and functional capacity of older women, comparing dancing to a walking exercise intervention and to an active control condition (stretching). The participants will include women between 60 and 80 years old, with body mass index inferior to 35 Kg /m2. The main outcome of this study is the peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak). The secondary outcomes are cardiovascular risk associated factors (C-reactive protein, TNF-alpha, lipid profile, etc) and functional performance (muscle strength and power, balance, gate ability, etc). The experimental design will include 3 parts: 1) Pre-intervention assessments: medical evaluation, fasting blood exams, maximum exercise test, assessments of body composition, balance, gate ability, muscular strength and power. 2) Period of interventions: patients will be randomized to one of the three following groups: dance, walking or stretching. The duration of the interventions will be 8 weeks, including 3 sessions per week for dance and walking, and once a week for the stretching group. Each session will last 60 min. 3) Post-intervention assessments: the same protocols of testing as pre-intervention.

Conditions

• Aging
• Cardiovascular Risk Factor
• Physical Activity

Interventions

OTHER

Dance

Participants randomized to the dance group will take part in a dance intervention programme for 8 weeks, including 3 sessions per week, each lasting 60 min. Dance classes will be performed in group in a dance studio, including a variety of rhythms such as salsa, jazz and aerobics. The dance session wil include a warm up of 15 min (posture, join mobility and dance technique), a main part of 40 min (learning of specific choreographies and practice of moves across the floor), and a cool down of 5 min (muscle stretching and relaxation).

OTHER

Walking

Participants randomized to the walking group will take part in a walking intervention programme for 8 weeks, including 3 sessions per week, each lasting 60 min. The walking session will include a warm up of 10 min (posture and join mobility), a main part of 40 min (walking on a treadmill with a heart rate corresponding to 60% of VO2peak), and a cool down of 10 min (muscle stretching and relaxation).

OTHER

Stretching

Participants randomized to the control group will take part in stretching classes, once a week, each lasting 60 min, also for 8 weeks. Stretching exercises for large muscle groups will be performed standing or in a match, holding the positions for a maximum of 10 s. There will be no music playing during the session.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Alvaro Reischak-Oliveira, PhD. · Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

60 Years

Max Age

80 Years

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2017-08-01

Primary Completion

2017-12-31

Completion

2018-08-31

Countries

• Brazil

Study Locations