Dance Class Structure Affects Youth Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior: A Study of Seven Dance Types

A Novel High-Intensity Short Interval Dance Intervention (THANDAV) to Improve Physical Fitness in Asian Indian Adolescent Girls

Background: There exist several barriers to physical activity (PA) among adolescent girls. We therefore developed a culturally acceptable dance/fitness intervention called THANDAV (Taking High-Intensity Interval Training [HIIT] ANd Dance to Adolescents for Victory over noncommunicable diseases [NCDs]). The main aim of this study was to evaluate the THANDAV protocol among Asian Indian girls aged 10 to 17 years. Materials and Methods: THANDAV consisted of a 10-min routine with high- and low-intensity dance steps that was taught to 23 adolescent girls. Heart rate (HR), energy expenditure, body mass index (BMI), and blood pressure (BP) were recorded. Focused group discussions (FGDs) were conducted after the quantitative measurements were completed. Results: The average age of the girls was 13.9 ± 2.1 years, and the mean BMI and BP were 19.8 ± 3.3 kg/m² and 107/68 (±8/7) mm/Hg, respectively. All participants achieved 80% of their maximum HR during the first dance and managed to sustain this HR throughout the 10-min routine. There was a significant increase in the HR (bpm) [88.7 ± 8.4 to 195.6 ± 11.8, P < 0.001] and VO₂ (L/min) [0.025 ± 0.0 to 0.395 ± 0.1, P < 0.001] postintervention. The average energy cost of the activity (metabolic equivalent) was 6.3. The FGDs revealed that THANDAV was a socially acceptable, fun, and energetic form of PA. Conclusions: The THANDAV intervention meets HIIT norms and is a novel culturally appropriate form of PA that is enjoyable, takes little time, and can be done at home. It has the potential to be a sustainable intervention to improve cardiorespiratory fitness and prevent NCDs in Asian Indian adolescent girls. Clinical Trials Registry of India: CTRI/2020/02/023384.

A Practice-Inspired Mindset for Researching the Psychophysiological and Medical Health Effects of Recreational Dance (Dance Sport)

“Dance” has been associated with many psychophysiological and medical health effects. However, varying definitions of what constitute “dance” have led to a rather heterogenous body of evidence about such potential effects, leaving the picture piecemeal at best. It remains unclear what exact parameters may be driving positive effects. We believe that this heterogeneity of evidence is partly due to a lack of a clear definition of dance for such empirical purposes. A differentiation is needed between (a) the effects on the individual when the activity of “dancing” is enjoyed as a dancer within different dance domains (e.g., professional/”high-art” type of dance, erotic dance, religious dance, club dancing, Dance Movement Therapy (DMT), and what is commonly known as hobby, recreational or social dance), and (b) the effects on the individual within these different domains, as a dancer of the different dance styles (solo dance, partnering dance, group dance; and all the different styles within these). Another separate category of dance engagement is, not as a dancer, but as a spectator of all of the above. “Watching dance” as part of an audience has its own set of psychophysiological and neurocognitive effects on the individual, and depends on the context where dance is witnessed. With the help of dance professionals, we first outline some different dance domains and dance styles, and outline aspects that differentiate them, and that may, therefore, cause differential empirical findings when compared regardless (e.g., amount of interpersonal contact, physical exertion, context, cognitive demand, type of movements, complexity of technique and ratio of choreography/improvisation). Then, we outline commonalities between all dance styles. We identify six basic components that are part of any dance practice, as part of a continuum, and review and discuss available research for each of them concerning the possible health and wellbeing effects of each of these components, and how they may relate to the psychophysiological and health effects that are reported for “dancing”: (1) rhythm and music, (2) sociality, (3) technique and fitness, (4) connection and connectedness (self-intimation), (5) flow and mindfulness, (6) aesthetic emotions and imagination. Future research efforts might take into account the important differences between types of dance activities, as well as the six components, for a more targeted assessment of how “dancing” affects the human body.

Physical activity and sedentary time of youth in structured settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Structured settings, such as school, childcare, afterschool programs, summer camps, and physical activity/sport programs are crucial to promoting physical activity (PA) opportunities and reducing sedentary (ST) for children and adolescents. However, little is known about how much PA and ST children and adolescents accumulate in structured settings. The aim of this study is to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the absolute amount of time youth spend physically active and sedentary in different structured settings (Prospero number: 42018111804).

METHODS

Observational and experimental/quasi-experimental studies (baseline data only) with full-text available, written in English and published in a peer-reviewed journal, reporting the total amount of objectively measured PA (light, moderate, vigorous, and/or total physical activity) and/or time spent ST during structured settings among youth (3 to 18 years) were eligible. Adjusted meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the pooled mean of time spent in PA and ST, by settings and sex.

RESULTS

A total of 187 studies (childcare n=60; school n=91; afterschool programs n=14; summer camp n=4; and Physical activity/ sport programs n=18) from 30 countries (47.9% United States), representing 74,870 youth (mean age 8.6 years old) were included. Overall, there was a high variation between studies in outcomes and settings. The meta-analyses revealed, on average, youth spend 221.8 minutes (36.7 min/hour) in ST and 32.1 minutes (5.1 min/hour) in MVPA during childcare hours, and 223.9 minutes (36.7min/hour) in ST and 27.8 min (4.4 min/hour) in MVPA at school. Relatively, youth are engaged in more MVPA in afterschool programs (11.7 min/hour), PA/ sport programs (20.9 min/hour), and summer camps (6.4 min/hour), when compared to childcare and school.

CONCLUSION

Total PA accumulated during childcare and MVPA accumulated during schools hours were close to recommendations, despite high proportion of ST. Afterschool programs, summer camp and PA/ sport programs are important settings that can contribute to daily PA and reduced ST. Ensuring all youth have access to these structured settings may be an important step forward for public health.

Effects of dancing on physical activity levels of children and adolescents: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Dancing has been suggested to increase the levels of physical activity of the youth. However, it is not clear what are the physiological characteristics of the dance classes for young people, mainly regarding the levels of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during classes. It is also unclear if regular engagement in dance practices can contribute with increases in the amounts of daily/weekly MVPA, recommended by health organizations.

OBJECTIVES

To conduct a systematic review verifying the amount of time spent at MVPA (primary outcome), by children and adolescents in the following situations: i) During dance classes, and ii) Before and after dance interventions. Secondary outcomes included: markers of exercise intensity during class, such as oxygen consumption (VO₂) and heart rate (HR); VO₂peak and lipid profile before and after dance interventions.

METHODS

Six data sources were accessed (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Wiley, PEDRO and SCOPUS). Study selection included different designs (acute, cohort, randomized controlled trials and others). Participants were from 6 to 19 years old, regularly engaged in dance practices. Methodological quality was assessed using the Downs and Black checklist. Two independent reviewers extracted characteristics and results of each study.

RESULTS

3216 articles were retrieved, and 37 included. Studies indicated that dance classes do not achieve 50% of total class time at MVPA. However, there are peaks of HR and VO₂ during dance classes, which reach moderate and vigorous intensities. MVPA/daily/weekly did not improve before and after dance interventions for most of the studies, also VO₂peak did not. The few results on lipid profile showed improvements only in overweight and obese participants.

LIMITATIONS

Lack of meta-analysis, because there were not enough articles to be analyzed on any given outcome of interest, neither under the same study design.

CONCLUSIONS

Results of individual studies indicated that dance classes did not active 50% of the total time at MVPA levels. This may be related to the absence of improvements in daily/weekly MVPA before and after dance interventions. VO₂ and HR attained peaks of moderateto vigorous intensity during dance classes, suggesting that the structure of the classes may be manipulated to maintain longer periods at MVPA levels. Lack of data on cardiorespiratory fitness and metabolic outcomes limit conclusions on these parameters.

IMPLICATIONS OF KEYS FINDS

Considering there are peaks of HR and VO₂ during dance classes, we suggest that the structure of a dance class can be manipulate in order to induce cardiorespiratory and metabolic adaptations. Thus, dancing is a potential strategy to contribute with a healthy life style since the earliest ages. Prospero registration: CRD42020144609.

The theory of expanded, extended, and enhanced opportunities for youth physical activity promotion

BACKGROUND

Physical activity interventions targeting children and adolescents (≤18 years) often focus on complex intra- and inter-personal behavioral constructs, social-ecological frameworks, or some combination of both. Recently published meta-analytical reviews and large-scale randomized controlled trials have demonstrated that these intervention approaches have largely produced minimal or no improvements in young people's physical activity levels.

DISCUSSION

In this paper, we propose that the main reason for previous studies' limited effects is that fundamental mechanisms that lead to change in youth physical activity have often been overlooked or misunderstood. Evidence from observational and experimental studies is presented to support the development of a new theory positing that the primary mechanisms of change in many youth physical activity interventions are approaches that fall into one of the following three categories: (a) the expansion of opportunities for youth to be active by the inclusion of a new occasion to be active, (b) the extension of an existing physical activity opportunity by increasing the amount of time allocated for that opportunity, and/or (c) the enhancement of existing physical activity opportunities through strategies designed to increase physical activity above routine practice. Their application and considerations for intervention design and interpretation are presented. The utility of these mechanisms, referred to as the Theory of Expanded, Extended, and Enhanced Opportunities (TEO), is demonstrated in their parsimony, logical appeal, support with empirical evidence, and the direct and immediate application to numerous settings and contexts. The TEO offers a new way to understand youth physical activity behaviors and provides a common taxonomy by which interventionists can identify appropriate targets for interventions across different settings and contexts. We believe the formalization of the TEO concepts will propel them to the forefront in the design of future intervention studies and through their use, lead to a greater impact on youth activity behaviors than what has been demonstrated in previous studies.