SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Sports Act. Living
Sec. Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation
Volume 7 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fspor.2025.1594754
The Effect of Dance Interventions on Well-Being Dimensions in Older Adults: A Systematic Review
Provisionally accepted
- Faculty of Education, National Pedagogical University, Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Colombia
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Background: Dance is increasingly recognized as a strategy that can support healthy aging. It incorporates physical, emotional, cognitive, and social engagement, which makes it particularly relevant for older populations. However, the effects of dance on multidimensional well-being have not yet been thoroughly synthesized.Objectives: Systematically review empirical studies examining the effects of dance-based interventions on physical, emotional, cognitive, and social dimensions of well-being in older adults. We considered studies that assessed one or more of these dimensions as indicators of well-being. Data Sources: Studies were identified through database searches in Scopus, Web of Science, and SportDiscus conducted between October and November 2024. Study Eligibility Criteria, Participants, and Interventions: Included studies were qualitative or quantitative empirical research published in peer-reviewed journals. Participants were adults aged 60 and older or identified as older adults. Interventions involved dance-based activities. Comparators included no intervention or alternative physical or recreational programs. The outcomes addressed at least one domain of well-being.Synthesis methods: This review followed the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Eligibility criteria were defined using the PICOS framework. Study quality was assessed using Law et al.'s (1998) 16-item checklist. Due to methodological heterogeneity, a narrative synthesis was performed.Limitations and Conclusions: Although the results suggest that dance is a promising, lowcost intervention for promoting multidimensional well-being in older adults, several limitations should be noted. Many studies had small sample sizes or did not report effect sizes or randomization. Furthermore, some studies assessed only one or two dimensions of well-being rather than a multidimensional profile. This limits the scope of conclusions that can be drawn about integrated well-being. Future research should prioritize more rigorous designs, standardize multidimensional outcome measures, and assess long-term integrative effects to better inform health promotion policies.
Keywords: dance, older adults, Systematic review, Well-being, Quality of Life
Received: 17 Mar 2025; Accepted: 07 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Fonseca, Rueda and Cabanzo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Ingrid Fonseca, Faculty of Education, National Pedagogical University, Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Colombia
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.