Cardio-Dance Exercise to Improve Cognition and Mood in Older African Americans: A Propensity-Matched Cohort Study

Abstract

The current study sought to determine the influence of initial sleep quality and body mass index on the cognitive and mood outcomes of a community-based cardio-dance exercise program. Thirty-two older African Americans who participated in a 5-month cardio-dance exercise program were propensity-matched to 32 no-contact controls. Participants completed neuropsychological tests of attention, executive function, and memory and a self-reported depression measure at baseline and post-test. Among exercise participants, we observed significant improvements in depression (baseline = 6.16 ± 5.54, post-test = 4.66 ± 4.89, [Formula: see text], p = .009) and attention (baseline = 40.53 ± 14.01, post-test = 36.63 ± 13.29, [Formula: see text], p = .009) relative to controls. Improvements in executive function and attention were most pronounced among exercise participants with poor sleep quality (baseline = 7.71 ± 1.25, post-test = 8.29 ± 2.06, [Formula: see text], p = .04) and with obesity (baseline = 38.05 ± 12.78, post-test = 35.67 ± 13.82, [Formula: see text], p = .001), respectively. This study provides novel evidence that exercise has the potential to improve depression in older African Americans. For those with poor sleep quality or obesity, exercise can also improve some cognitive outcomes.

Effects of Lifestyle Factors on Cognition in Minority Population of Older Adults: A Review

“…However, those studies that have investigated marginalized groups, show promising findings like studies of predominantly Non-Hispanic White populations. While most studies have focused on primarily non-Hispanic Whites some of the same benefits have been observed in the few studies that focused on older African Americans ( 75 – 77 ). Older African Americans display associations of executive function, learning and memory, and generalizing previous knowledge to novel problems with cardiorespiratory fitness levels ( 76 ).…”

“…The effects of exercise/PA extend beyond simple associations among these populations. Exercise interventions have also been used to elicit changes in cognitive function ( 75 ). A cohort of older African American individuals were divided into a cardio-dance or control group to participate in twice weekly exercise sessions.…”

“…A cohort of older African American individuals were divided into a cardio-dance or control group to participate in twice weekly exercise sessions. After 5 months of training, the dance group showed improvements in executive function, and reduced depression scores ( 75 ). This may have been more effective because the cohort had low fitness at the beginning of the study ( 75 ).…”

“…After 5 months of training, the dance group showed improvements in executive function, and reduced depression scores ( 75 ). This may have been more effective because the cohort had low fitness at the beginning of the study ( 75 ). Additionally, the group nature of the exercise intervention also allows effects of social engagement to influence the study outcomes.…”

Exercise Effects on Cognition in Older African Americans: A Pilot Randomized Trial

“…Finally, AAs experience more adverse social determinants of health (e.g., racial discrimination, residential segregation, neighborhood walkability) which can in turn affect treatment engagement and response. Only a small number of physical activity interventions have specifically targeted AAs (Lukach et al, 2016;Zhang and Jemmott, 2019;Fausto et al, 2021). None of the prior interventions, to our knowledge, followed designs informed by and tailored to older AAs in conjunction with utilizing objective measures of physical activity.…”