| Objective:With the increase of age, the elderly is in the risk of cardiovascular degeneration. Meanwhile, because of that lacking exercise and poor diet would lead to the rise of blood lipid and gain weight, they have the risk of obesity which would devoted to many kinds of chronic disease. In this research, middle-aged and older women were selected as the research object, they were divided into two groups which were the square dance group and the control group. Through physical tests and questionnaire survey, the effect of square dancing exercise on the middle-aged and old women and their mental health status was studied. And then, the square dancing exercise’s fitness effect and its mechanism was analyzed which would provide reference for scientific exercise of square dancing and supply some suggestions to promote the development of the square dance and national fitness.Methods:In this article, many methods such as literature material method, statistical analysis, experimentation and so on were used to research the study. Firstly, forty five women at the age of 45 to 65 years old were chosen as the research objects. Then, the participants divided into two groups randomly,25 women in the square dancing exercise group and the others in control group. In square dancing exercise group, they need to dance between 19:00 to 21:00 on square four times per week(include fifteen minutes for preparation, ninety minutes for dancing, fifteen minutes for finishing relaxation),meanwhile their exercise intensity were controlled under 60% of maximum heart rate. In addition to this, both groups keep their lifestyle as usual. Before and after the experiment, the indicators of all the volunteers’body mass index and mental health should be tested. The test indexes include:(1) physical fitness test indicators:body sizes indexes:height, weight, waist circumference, hip circumference, abdominal fat thickness, upper arm of sebum thickness, shoulder sebum thickness, body composition; body function indexes:resting Heart Rate (HR), Blood Pressure (BP), sidestep test and Vital Capacity (VC), Maximal Ventilatory Volume (MVV); Physical quality indexes:grip strength, reaction time, standing on one foot with your eyes closed, sit-and-reach, sit-ups; (2) mental health test indicators:the SCL-90 symptom self-evaluation scale and SF-36 life quality scale questionnaire was conducted respectively. After that, all the experimental data were calculated by the statistical software SPSS 17.0 with P<0.05 which is the significance level. Finally, the calculated result of two groups were compared and analyzed.Results:(1) The results of square dancing group before and after exercise showed that these women’s waist circumference, waist-hip ratio, shoulder department crease obviously decreased with the significant difference (P<0.01), and their lung capacity, the chase volume, sidestep test index,1 min sit-ups elevated significantly and reaction obviously shorten with the difference very significant (P<0.01); their weight, BMI, abdominal crease, upper arm decreased crease, and compared with before exercise grip strength increased with the significant difference (P<0.05); meanwhile, their hip circumference, muscle weight, diastolic blood pressure in succession, crook proneness, hands back, the standing time on one foot with eyes closed increased; and the body fat percentage, fat weight, heart rate and systolic blood pressure decreased less obviously, but the significant difference much close to 0.05.(2) The results of the control group before and after exercise showed that their body weight, BMI, waist circumference, waist-hip ratio, fat weight, heart rate, vital capacity, the chase volume, grip strength, reaction time significantly increased with a significant difference (P<0.01), hands back (left) and the standing time on one foot with eyes closed decreased with the significant difference (P<0.01); their upper arm crease increases and muscle weight in succession, crook proneness,1 min sit-ups reduced with a significant difference (P<0.05); meanwhile, their hip circumference, sidestep test index, abdominal skinfold, scapular skinfold, body fat percentage, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, hands back hook (right) have no significant difference.(3) After 6 months, the SCL-90 scale of each factor scores of the square dance group were significantly lower than before the experiment, the scores therein of somatization and hostility had very significant difference (P<0.01); force, interpersonal relationship, depression, anxiety, psychoticism score was significantly lower than before exercise (P< 0.05). The total scores of SF-36 scale and each dimension score increased to some extent, among them, PF, RE, VT and GH compared with the test before the experiment had a very significant difference (P< 0.01); and the total score, BP and SF compared with the test before the experiment show significant difference (P< 0.05).Conclusions:(1) After square dancing exercise, those women’s pulmonary ventilation function had been improved obviously. Their VC, MVV, sidestep test index had increased significantly. These data revealed that Square dancing exercise could play a positive role to prevent the function of cardiovascular system.(2) After square dancing exercise, those women’s size had been improved to some extend. Their abdominal fat and waist-hip ratio decreased significantly. It show that the exercise could play a positive role to prevent obesity.(3) After square dancing exercise, those women’s strength, flexibility, sensitivity and balance qualities had a positive effect especially on sensitivity and balance qualities.(4) After square dancing exercise, those women’s mental health improved very obviously, and their interpersonal relationship, anxiety, hostility, depression, fear also improved.(5) The indicators of SF-36 such as PF (Physiological Function), GH (General Health), VT (Vitality life), RE (Role Emotional) increased significantly; BP (Body Pain), SF (Social Function) also improved. These showed that square dance have a positive role on general health of middle-aged and old women. |
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