The level of quality of life experienced by young adults practicing Greek traditional dance, Latin dance and group exercise programs

An increasing number of research have connected physical activity with better Quality of Life (Vagetti et al., 2014; Marquez et al., 2020). There are many definitions of Quality of Life (QοL). According to the World Health Organization, QοL is “one’s perception about one’s life, in a cultural context, and the value in the system one lives in, as well as their relation with goals, expectations, standards and concerns, including physical health, psychological health, levels of independence, social relations, environmental characteristics and spiritual standard” (Vieira et al., 2013). Specifically, physical activity is positively associated with QοL (Bize et al., 2007). Healthy adults with higher (aerobic exercise) cardiorespiratory fitness are linked to higher levels of QοL during their middle years of life (Flesaker et al., 2021). High intensity and long periods of exercise may improve QοL and increase systematic participation in exercise (Imayama et al., 2013). It is remarkable that the frequency of participation in exercise is dependent on psychological QoL (Garcia et al., 2012). High levels of psychological QοL are positively connected with psychological well-being and negatively connected with psychosomatic disorders and sleep problems (Guzmán‐García et al., 2013).
Group exercise programs play an important role in QοL improvement compared to individual programs (Lerdal et al., 2013). For example, participants (20–39 years old) in group fitness classes showed increased physical, mental and emotional QοL compared to same-age participants in individual exercise programs and non-exercisers, who did not show any differences in QοL (Yorks et al., 2017). Furthermore, 163 middle-aged participants in group exercise for three months improved parameters of QοL, such as physical function, mental health and performance in daily activities, and the overall health (Lerdal et al., 2013). Popular team sports in a sample of 1,237,194 individuals aged 18 years old and older in the USA, showed the highest levels of mental health, followed by cycling, aerobic and gym activities (Chekroud et al., 2018). Aerobic exercise improves physical function, bodily pain and general health in middle-aged participants (Imayama et al., 2013). QοL domains among adults are influenced by modes of group exercise (McGrath et al., 2011). For instance, strength training showed higher levels than Pilates in the energy/fatigue domain of QoL (McGrath et al., 2011). Additionally, in research with different types of physical activity and exercise, sedentary reported the lowest levels of mental health, while exercisers who participated in yoga and team sport had higher scores than non-exercisers, and ballroom dancers exhibited the highest levels of mental health (Marschin and Herbert, 2021).
Dance is a pleasurable aerobic physical activity (Judge, 2003; Hernandes et al., 2018) which is positively connected with QoL (Argiriadou, 2018; Koch et al., 2019). Dance is proposed as a way of health promotion with positive effects on body composition, mental health, physical functioning, and social functioning, in healthy children, adolescents, adults and older adults (McCrary et al., 2021). All these parameters relate to QoL. Dance, as a performing art and physical activity, is more common among women than men of all ages and is useful in improving women’s QoL (Hernandes et al., 2018). Furthermore, dance is a way of developing interpersonal skills. In dance classes, apart from the group cooperation required, it is important that a level of understanding, trust, and mutual assistance exist among participants (Banio-Krajnik, 2023). Taking that into consideration, it is understood that dance is a multidimensional approach to social functioning development, and a dance educator must be able to build interpersonal relationships in a social group, such as the dance group (Banio-Krajnik, 2023).
Dances from different countries and different types of dance relate to QoL. Latin and traditional Thai dance showed a higher improvement in physical function than walking and general aerobic exercise (Fong Yan et al., 2018). Participating in Latin dance helps participants feel more joyful and happier, enhances relaxation and promotes mental health in older adults, improving their QoL and the aging process (Banio, 2020). Participants in Greek traditional dance (GTD) programs improved well-being and decreased anxiety (Mavrovouniotis et al., 2010), enhanced QoL generally (Lykesas and Tyrovola, 2012; Lykesas et al., 2018) with findings particularly notable in middle-aged and older adults (Bougiesi et al., 2014).
A review with dance intervention studies with different types of dance (salsa, ballroom, low-impact aerobic, Turkish folk), highlighted the positive effect of dance on QoL (McNeely et al., 2015). Dance intervention improves QoL in healthy adults by enhancing physical function (Liu et al., 2021). Research has been proposed to determine the effects of each type of dance compared to other types of physical activity and exercise programs (Keogh et al., 2009). As there are different levels of improvement in different types of dance, an examination focusing on each type of dance is needed (Lakes et al., 2016). The present study aimed to investigate the QοL in different types of dance and group exercise in young adults using a cross-sectional study design.

This study is part of a Doctoral Thesis in Sport Psychology approved by the Ethics in Research Committee of the University of Thessaly, Department of Physical Education and Sport Science under the number 2–4 on October 10, 2012. All participants signed the informed assent form for the participation.

The aim of the present study was to reveal the differences in QoL among different types of dance and group exercise, in young adults through an observational cross-sectional study design. Overall, statistically significant differences were found in six of the eight parameters of QoL, two correlated with physical health and four correlated with mental Health. The higher scores of GTD in Physical Role compared to group exercise and sedentary participants may be explained by the fact that structured dance programs of any type are proposed as safe, and sometimes equally or more effective than other forms of exercise for physical health dimensions (Fong Yan et al., 2018). Nevertheless, this did not occur for LD participants, who showed lower scores than group exercisers. In formation dance, despite the specificity of the movement, injuries can still occur (Wanke et al., 2020) which may lead to lower QoL in the Physical Role parameter.
The current study also found that GTDs displayed better levels in Bodily Pain than sedentary participants and LDs. Better levels in Bodily Pain indicate less pain. The lower Bodily Pain for sedentary individuals is not surprising, as opportunities to become tired are minimized, nor is the mobility of the participant being tested. It is predicted that a dance program probably improves somatic pain and function (Castrillon et al., 2017) and is proposed as a way for chronic pain management (Shim et al., 2019). Nevertheless, Latin dance is highly related to pain and potentially injury risk in non-professional dancers (Wanke et al., 2020). Moreover, continuing to dance despite being in pain is linked to intrinsic motivation and socio-cultural elements (McEwen and Young, 2011; Wakne et al., 2020). Additionally, GTD is an intrinsically motivated physical activity (Filippou et al., 2016). This may explain the QoL results for Bodily Pain.
Another outcome of the present study was that, for the parameters of Vitality and Mental Health, GTDs reported the highest levels of all the other groups (LDs, group exercisers and sedentary). The findings are in line with previous studies showing that dance improves vitality in sedentary women (Barranco-Ruiz et al., 2020), and GTD is linked with better vitality than sedentary individuals and better mental health than both group exercisers and sedentary participants (Bougiesi et al., 2011). GTD does not have competitive characteristics, the customs of the dancers, which are linked with GDT are fitted in all persons and no ideal body image is promoted. In contrast, in commercial fitness industry, an ideal body image for Latin dancers is promoted (Markula, 2020). This may create less vitality and more anxiety in young participants.
We also detected that GTDs had higher levels of Social Functioning than LDs. Dance in general, improves social engagement and enhances socialization (Brustio et al., 2018). Social benefits from dance participation take more time to appear (Lakes et al., 2016). Both GTDs and LDs fulfill the inclusion criterion of participating at least 15 months in the specific dance class, but GTDs participated much longer than LDs as it is presented in Table 1. Additionally, GTD and LD have some distinctions, such as music rhythm, dance steps, shape and the way participants dance. GTD is mainly danced in a circle, whereas LD is danced mainly in pairs. Furthermore, GTD involves the holding of hands in a group, not just between two dancers as in LD, which enhances socialization (Karampoula and Panhofer, 2018).
Dance generally is linked with a better emotional state (Witkos and Hartman-Petrycka, 2021). Circle dance helps participants overcome emotional problems and issues in their lives, such as depression, stress and anxiety (Borges da Costa and Cox, 2016). Moreover, circle dance can lead to emotional changes, such as participants becoming calmer and more cheerful (Silva et al., 2021). GTDs exhibited higher scores in Emotional Role than all the other groups, (group exercisers, LDs and sedentary participants). This may be justified by the fact that GTD group not rely on individualistic performances. Each member of the group and the structure of the group reinforce one another, providing strength, encouragement, and energy to each participant (Banio-Krajnik, 2023). Similarly, in partner dancing, one partner gains strength from the other, but in a group, that interaction may be stronger. For the same reason, it can be interpreted, that LD had higher scores than sedentary participants. In sedentary participants, there was no interaction with any other person, where trust and shared emotions could be build.
Modes of group exercise influence QoL domains among adults (McGrath et al., 2011). The current study pointed out that different types of dance, specifically GTD and LD, are associated differently with QoL parameters. In all the differences that were mentioned, GTD had better levels of QoL than the other groups. It is remarkable that in all four parameters of QoL associated with mental health, GTD presented better levels than LD. Characteristics of each dance form and the duration of participation probably led to these results, and further research in this direction would be useful. The current study increases our knowledge about dance and QoL in young adults, an area where research is sparse. In a world with constantly increasing mental health problems and decreasing QoL not only in older adults but also in young adults (WHO), GTD can be a supportive means of improving mental health-related QoL for young adults. More dance and Greek traditional dance programs could be provided for young adults as an alternative physical activity positively connected with QoL.

Maria Bougiesi: Writing – review & editing, Writing – original draft. Vasiliki Zisi: Supervision.

The participants in Greek Traditional Dance (GTDs), had a higher number of experience-adherence years, than Latin Dancers and exercisers. This is probably indicative of the role of Greek Dance in the Greek culture, since it is included in the school curriculum and many young people keep on practicing this dance as an extracurricular activity. The study was aiming in comparing participants in different types of physical activity, during their leisure time. Besides, the participation frequency-twice a week – should not refer to professional dancers. Thus, the main interest was placed on a minimum time (15 months) to ensure adherence in the certain activity. The level of physical activity however, was important, since it could interfere with the design of the study, and possible significant METs differences among the groups should hinder attribution to either the level or the type of physical activity. According to the results of the study, there were no significant physical activity differences among the groups, so QoL differences among the groups should be linked to the type of physical activity.

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

We would like to thank all the participants that voluntarily replied to the questionnaires.