Dance Is for All: A Social Marketing Intervention with Children and Adolescents to Reduce Prejudice towards Boys Who Dance

Ana Silva, Elisabete Sá, Joaquim Silva and José Carlos Pinho
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Ana Silva: School of Economics and Management, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
Elisabete Sá: Interdisciplinary Centre of Social Sciences (CICS.NOVA.UMinho), School of Economics and Management, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
Joaquim Silva: Interdisciplinary Centre of Social Sciences (CICS.NOVA.UMinho), School of Economics and Management, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
José Carlos Pinho: School of Economics and Management, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 13, 1-15

Abstract: Dance is proven to offer a myriad of physical, psychological, and social benefits. However, because dance has been frequently perceived as a feminine practice, there is a prevailing prejudice towards boys who dance, making it hard for them to engage in this physical activity. Social marketing has been presented as a promising framework to deal with different social problems, including prejudice, although its effectiveness is still difficult to establish. Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), a quasi-experimental study involving a sample of 436 children and adolescents, composed of 51.38% boys and 48.62% girls was implemented to measure the effectiveness of a Social Marketing Intervention (SMI) in reducing prejudice towards dance and boys who dance, in particular, and in increasing their intentions to practice this physical activity. The study furthermore aimed to compare the influence of the SMI on participants of two different stages of child development to ascertain when it is most effective to intervene. The questionnaire was used to collect information and included items derived from relevant literature. To assess differences between children and adolescents before and after the SMI, the analysis relied on independent t -tests and paired t -tests. Results suggest positive effects of the SMI on some dimensions of the TPB.

Keywords: prejudice in dance; social marketing intervention; children and adolescents; male dancers; boys who dance; gender (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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