Effects Of Group-based Dance Intervention On Exercise Self-efficacy And Body Image Among Korean Older Adults With Physical Disabilities

PURPOSE:In modern society,the average life expectancy of the population in many countries has increased,and thus it faces the problem of entering an aging society.Older people with disabilities face the dual risks of "aging" and "disability",and they are often considered to be the most vulnerable population with physical and psychological problems.The proportion of elderly people with disabilities in total elderly population is about 70%in Korea and about 60%in China.Previous studies reported psychological health problems in this population,and regular physical activity can enhance their psychological health.Dance is very suitable for elderly people with physically disabled disabilities.It can be adjusted according to the age,physical condition and culture of the participants,because there are fewer movement restrictions in the dance.Many studies have proved that dance has a positive physical and psychological impact on people with special needs,but the experimental research on the psychological impact of elderly people with physical disabilities is still insufficient.The aim of this study was to design a dance intervention program and examine its impact on exercise self-efficacy and social physique anxiety in elderly people with physical disabilities.METHODS:A total of 50 elderly people with physical disabilities(65 yrs.or older)were recruited.The participants were randomized assigned into intervention group(n=25)and control group(n=25).The intervention group attended to the group-based dance program for 60 min/times,2 times/week;the control group participated in self-selected physical activities such as aqua-aerobics,swimming and fitness for 40-90 min/times,1-3 times/week,for 10 weeks in both group.Participants completed "Exercise Self-Efficacy(ESE)Scale" and "Social Physique Anxiety(SPA)Scale" at baseline test and after the intervention.RESULTS:There was no significant difference between the two groups(p>.05)at the baseline.After the intervention:1)paired sample t-test showed that there was no significant difference between pre and post-tests on the ESE and SPA of the control group,and the effect was small(p>.05,d=0.33;0.11);For intervention group,the change of ESE and SPA were significant,and showed large effect size(p<.01,d=1.76;1.50);2)repeated measure analysis of ANOVA showed that the intervention was effective and the effect size was large(FESE=21.217,P<.05;FSPA=29.835P<.01;?p2=.371;.453).CONCLUSION:The 10-week dance intervention program designed in this study can effectively help the older adults with physical disabilities to enhance exercise self-efficacy and reduce social physique anxiety.