Preprint · Jan 2026
Latin dance or Chinese-style square dance for improving balance and fall-related outcomes in community-dwelling older
By 李国一
Purpose: To compare the effects of Latin dance and square dance on balance, lower-limb muscle power, and fall-related self-efficacy in older adults. Materials and methods: A 12-week randomized controlled trial (RCT) assigned 56 community-dwelling older adults to Latin (n = 28) or square dance (n = 28) groups. Outcomes included static/dynamic balance (sway area, center-of-pressure trajectory, Y-Balance Test), lower-limb muscle power (30-second chair stand test), and fear of falling (Modified Falls Efficacy Scale, MFES). Repeated-measures ANOVA with Bonferroni corrections analysed group differences. Results: Both interventions improved outcomes, but Latin dance showed significantly greater benefits (all P < 0.05). The Latin dance group had a 41.2% reduction in sway area during eyes-closed double-limb stance, 17.2% increase in posteromedial reach distance, 23.9% improvement in chair-stand repetitions, and 4.2% higher total MFES scores versus square dance. Conclusions: Both Latin and square dance were feasible and associated with improved performance over 12 weeks; however, Latin dance produced significantly greater improvements in balance, lower-limb muscle power, and fall-related self-efficacy than square dance, supporting its integration into community fall-risk reduction programs.