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

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.