Move her mind: Functional Fitness and Urban Dance improve benefits on menopausal symptoms and psychological health (randomised clinical trial)

The objective is to analyze the effects of Functional Fitness and Urban Dances after 12 weeks, on menopausal symptoms and psychological health (anxiety, cognition, depression, mood and stress levels), compared to the control group in postmenopausal women. Randomised clinical trial with postmenopausal women (n = 73 with mean age of 53.7 ± 3.4 years) divided into three groups: Functional Fitness Intervention Group (n = 25), Urban Dance Intervention Group (n = 24), and control group (n = 24). The interventions occurred in two weekly sessions of 60 min each for 12 weeks. Assessments were conducted at baseline and after the interventions, evaluating menopausal symptoms (Menopause Rating Scale – primary outcome); and secondary outcomes: depressive and anxiety symptoms (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale); cognition (Montreal Cognitive Assessment); stress (Perceived Stress Scale); and mood state (Brunel Mood Scale). Regarding the primary outcome, the UDG showed a significant reduction in the somatic domain of the MRS compared to CG and FFG (p = 0.046). For secondary outcomes, the UDG presented lower levels of anxiety (p = 0.034) and reduced mental confusion (p = 0.031). The FFG showed superior results in reducing depressive symptoms (p = 0.034) and improving mood domains, specifically fatigue (p = 0.005), anger (p = 0.003), and tension (p = 0.006), with moderate to large effect sizes observed in both intervention groups compared to CG. Both modalities appear to be viable non-pharmacological strategies for psychological health in postmenopause, suggesting distinct clinical applications based on the patient's predominant symptomatology.