Dance Activity and Health-Related Quality of Life Among Middle-Aged and Older Women: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study in China

Background: Physical activity has a significant effect on older adults, especially on enhancing their quality of life and well-being. More than physical activity, dance integrates music, sensory engagement, emotional expression and social connection, creating a multidimensional environment for aging population. Objective: This study explored whether dance activity habits can acutely improve physical and mental health of middle-aged and older women. A total of 143 healthy middle-aged and elderly women (50-80 years) participated in this study. Network survey of QoL was conducted. QoL of subjects was measured by using the MOS SF-36. All data were analyzed by using the SPSS 26.0 software system. Main ideas: The control group showed significant lower scores in role-physical (64.0±43.1VS.85.6±30.4, <i>p</i> < 0.01), general health (61.2±17.2VS.72.7±18.4, <i>p</i> < 0.01), vitality (72.9±15.7VS.79.1±15.0, <i>p</i> < 0.05) and Physical Component Summary (49.78±0.89 VS.50.23±0.87, <i>p</i> < 0.01) than the dance group. The low-level dance group showed significant lower scores in physical functioning (76.0±21.8VS.88.8±12.7, <i>p</i> < 0.01), role-physical (72.4±39.7VS.94.6±17.1, <i>p</i> < 0.01), role-emotional (72.4±39.7VS.94.6±17.1, <i>p </i>< 0.01) and Physical Component Summary (49.8±0.96VS.50.5±0.69, <i>p</i> < 0.01) than the high-level dance group. Conclusion: These findings highlight the benefits of maintaining dance activity for improving physical and mental health related QoL, especially for physical health. Based on findings of the present study, we recommend that middle-aged and older people could have a regular dance activity at least 150 mins per week to improve their health-related quality of life.