Effect of Ballroom Dancing on the Physical, Psychological, and Mental Well-Being of Oncological Patients: A Pilot Study

Rebecca Schild (), Martin Scharpenberg, Ivonne Rudolph, Jens Büntzel and Jutta Huebner
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Rebecca Schild: Klinik für Innere Medizin II, Universitätsklinikum Jena, Am Klinikum 1, 07747 Jena, Germany
Martin Scharpenberg: Kompetenzzentrum für Klinische Studien Bremen, Fachbereich 3, Mathematik und Informatik, Hochschule Bremen, 28358 Bremen, Germany
Ivonne Rudolph: Waldburg-Zeil Kliniken, Rehabilitationsklinik Bad Salzelmen, Therapie/Leiterin Ambulante TherapieBadepark 5, 39218 Schönebeck, Germany
Jens Büntzel: Klinik für HNO-Erkrankungen, Kopf-Hals-Chirurgie, Interdisziplinäre Palliativstation, Südharzklinikum, Robert-Koch-Straße 39, 99734 Nordhausen, Germany
Jutta Huebner: Klinik für Innere Medizin II, Universitätsklinikum Jena, Am Klinikum 1, 07747 Jena, Germany

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 4, 1-13

Abstract: Purpose: Previous studies have shown that dancing can improve well-being, but few studies have looked at ballroom dancing. The present pilot study focuses on ballroom dancing and aims to investigate its effect on the physical, psychological, and mental well-being of cancer patients. Owing to COVID-19, face-to-face courses had to be replaced by online courses to continue the intervention and maintain learning progress; after the end of the pandemic, the courses could occur on site again when possible. Methods: For this cohort study, a total of 51 participants (38 patients and 12 healthy partners, no data for 1; 34 women and 9 men, no data for 8) participated. There were no limitations regarding the type of cancer, treatment, or comorbidities. It was an open access offering; participants were recruited through the newspaper and support groups. Using an anonymous standardized questionnaire and a numeric rating scale (NRS) ranging from 1 to 10, the participants were asked to rate their mental, physical, and psychological well-being at defined time points over one week. No side effects were registered and the teaching methods appeared to be practicable for the patients. Results: The pilot study showed an improvement in well-being after ballroom dancing. The results for physical, psychological, and mental well-being were significant ( p < 0.0001). On average, men reported better scores, and all improvements were significant for both men and women. Overall, the healthy partners rated their well-being slightly better on average than the patients. A mixed-model analysis with repeated measurements in SAS was used to evaluate significant results ( p < 0.05). Conclusion: Our data show that ballroom dancing for cancer patients has a positive effect on their well-being, even though their well-being returns to baseline levels within the following days. Positive effects were also demonstrated for participating healthy partners.

Keywords: neoplasm; ballroom dancing; dance sports; well-being (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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