Dose-response Effect of Community Dance Programme

Launched by NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE · Jul 15, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This study is looking at how joining a Community Dance Programme (CDP) can help older adults who are starting to experience frailty—a condition where the body becomes weaker and less able to handle daily activities. Researchers want to find out if attending two dance sessions each week, compared to just one, can better improve physical health (like strength and balance), thinking skills, and emotional well-being. The dance sessions will last 75 minutes each and take place over 12 weeks at local Active Ageing Centres.

Older adults between 60 and 85 years old who live in the community, can understand English or Mandarin, and are mildly frail but still able to move around with little help may be eligible to join. Participants should be willing to attend most sessions (at least 75%) and avoid other exercise programs during the study. Those with severe memory problems, serious health issues, or who already belong to other dance groups won’t qualify. During the study, participants will wear fitness trackers to monitor their heart rates, and data will be collected before and after the 12 weeks. The goal is to see if dancing more often can make a meaningful difference in keeping older adults active, sharp, and feeling connected.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Aged 60 to 85.
• • Able to understand and communicate in either English or Mandarin.
• • Able to give consent to participate.
• • Able to commit for three months and able to achieve at least an attendance rate of 75% for the dance program.
• • Lives within the community setting.
• • Abbreviated Mental Test (AMT) score\>= 8
• • Obtain a score of less than or equal to 7 in Edmonton Frail Scale - Acute Care or less than or equal to 5 in Clinical Frailty Scale
• • Able to ambulate with minimal assistance
• • Willing to avoid other physical exercise during the interventional period.
• • Consent to video and photography of the dance sessions and audio recording of the FGDs.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Abbreviated Mental Test (AMT) score of less than 8.
• • A score of more than 7 on the Edmonton Frail Scale - Acute Care or a score of more than 5 on Clinical Frailty Scale
• • Diagnosed with severe cognitive or psychiatric disorders.
• • Have severe hearing or vision impairments
• • Have medical conditions which results in limitation of dancing (e.g. walking aids, wheelchair etc.)
• • Older adults with serious chronic diseases (e.g. postural hypotension etc.)
• • Registered in any other dance group during the intervention period