The Development of the Dance Smart Intervention: A Céilí Dance Exercise Intervention for People Living With Dementia and Their Care Partners (Dance Smart Intervention)

Dance is a form of exercise that engages motor, cognitive, social, and emotional skills (Charras et al., 2020). Céilí dance is a traditional Irish social dance offering physical and psychological health benefits, with the added benefit of a social element. People living with dementia and care partners have low levels of physical activity (PA) despite understanding the range of benefits (van Alphen et al., 2016). This study aimed to develop a person-centred dance - based exercise intervention for people living with dementia and care partners. The Medical Research Council Framework (MRCF) and behaviour change wheel (BCW) informed the intervention design. A literature review, focus groups and interviews with people living with dementia and care partners were completed to explore experiences and preferences of physical activity and exercise. Findings were mapped to intervention functions and further developed into intervention components using selected behaviour change techniques (BCTs). A stakeholder group and a participant advisory group (PAG) reviewed and refined the intervention. The intervention targeted increasing physical activity and exercise (PAE) in people living with dementia and care partners. Thirteen statements were generated from nine studies. Twenty-six participants, (nine people living with dementia, seventeen care partners) engaged in focus groups or interviews. Analysis identified physical and psychological capability, physical and social opportunity, as the key constructs for change. These aligned with six out of nine intervention functions, leading to the identification of twenty-one appropriate BCTs. These were reformed into six intervention components. These included: a supervised dance exercise class, an induction session, assessments of physical and psychological health, a goal setting and action planning session, daily prompts for class, and a social aspect. This Céilí dance exercise intervention is a theory-informed, systematically designed intervention tailored for people living with dementia and care partners. It has the potential to improve PAE in this population. Future research should assess its feasibility and effectiveness.