Does Dancing Improve Fall Risk Due To Its Demands On Cognitive Effort?

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event Does Dancing Improve Fall Risk Due To Its Demands On Cognitive Effort? Dennis Hamacher1*, Daniel Hamacher1, Kathrin Rehfeld1, Anita Hökelmann1 and Lutz Schega1 1 Otto von Guericke University, Institute of Sport Science, Germany Background: Extreme levels of gait variability are associated with fall risk (Hamacher et al., 2011) and reduced executive function. As walking demands cognitive effort, gait variability is affected when subjects perform a dual task. It is not verified if dual-task walking improves after a cognitive-motor intervention. Dancing implies high demands on executive functions and motor control. It might reduce variability of stride time (ST) and minimum toe clearance (MTC) while dual-task walking and hence fall risk. The RTC asks how cognitive demands, which are incorporated in an exercise intervention (6-months dancing program), affect cognitive-motor dual task performance. Methods: 35 elderly subjects were randomly assigned to either a health-related exercise group (age=68.9±3.0 years) or a dancing group (age=67.9±3.9 years). In pre-test and post-test, we assessed stride variability of MTC and ST and the time needed to recite subtraction serials of three (s3) while dual-task walking. Data was analyzed using two-way repeated measures ANOVAs (time by group). Results: While no interaction effect was found regarding ST variability, interactions were observed in MTC variability (p=0.042) and s3 (p=0.018) in favor of the dancing group. Conclusions: Regulating MTC represents an end-point control task. Our data indicates that a dancing program (which combines cognitive and motor efforts) reduces end-point gait variability, which in turn indicates lower fall risk. Thus, music-based multitask exercises, where elderly people are permanently forced to learn new step sequences, might be an efficient fall prevention program (due to their motor-cognitive dual-task character) that could easily be offered in senior centers.