We present the findings from a pilot study to evaluate the effects of a six-week adapted folk-dance intervention on physical and mental health for at-risk adolescents conducted in schools. At-risk adolescents are at particular risk for sedentary behavior, poor mental health, and lower quality of life, and are likely to benefit from motivating and health-promoting activities such as dance. However, it can be challenging to conduct and evaluate evidence-based interventions with this population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Physical inactivity negatively affects gait performance and postural stability in older adults resulting in a higher risk of fall accidents. Previous research has shown that in-person dance training improves various aspects of balance and lower-extremity function, however, little is known about the potential benefits of dance training delivered online on variables used for fall risk stratification in older adults. We aimed to explore the benefits of a 12-week online dance training intervention on static and dynamic postural stability and gait speed in older women.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Previous studies show that in-person dance training is a beneficial form of physical activity that involves mental, social, and physical dimensions. This exploratory study investigated the benefits of a 12-week online dance training intervention on mental and physical health outcomes for older women.
Methods: A convergent parallel mixed-method design was used.
There is growing interest in developing creative applications for robots, specifically robots that provide entertainment, companionship, or motivation. Identifying the hallmarks of human creativity and discerning how these processes might be replicated or assisted by robots remain open questions. Transdisciplinary collaborations between artists and engineers can offer insights into how robots might foster creativity for human artists and open up new pathways for designing interactive systems.
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