Effects of Thai Dance With Twenty-five Squares in Elderly With Mild Cognitive Impairment

Effects of Thai Dance With Twenty-five Squares on Cerebrovascular and Cognitive Function in Elderly With Mild Cognitive Impairment

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of Thai dance with twenty-five squares on cerebrovascular and cognitive function in elderly with mild cognitive impairment

Twenty elderly with mild cognitive impairment aged 60 years and over were randomized into 2 groups: control group (CON; n=20) and Thai dance with twenty-five squares training group (TDT; n=20). Participants in CON group do their daily routine without receiving any training program, while those in TDT group completed receiving Thai dance with twenty-five squares training program three time a week for twelve week-long (60 minutes/time). The physiological data, cerebrovascular function, cognitive, respiratory function, health-related physical fitness, and Blood biochemistry variables were analyzed during the pre-test and post-tests. The dependent variables between pre-test and post-tests were analyzed by paired t-test. The variables between pre-test and post-test were analyzed by paired t-test. In addition, an independent t-test was used to compare the variables between groups. Statistical significance was defined as p < .05.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Elderly males and females aged 60-79 years who can lead normal daily lives. Individuals with mild cognitive impairment identified through the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) with a score in the range of 17 - 25.
• Must be able to listen, speak, read, write, and understand the Thai language.
• Should not have diseases or abnormalities such as heart disease, eye complications caused by diabetes, uncontrolled high blood pressure, kidney complications caused by diabetes, and stroke.
• Must not have other respiratory diseases such as tuberculosis (Tuberculosis), asthma (Asthma), lung cancer (Lung cancer), emphysema (Emphysema), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), etc.
• Must be a person not at risk of falling, determined through a test of the ability to walk and turn 3 meters within a time period of 7 - 15 seconds.
• Must not have received medication to treat dementia.
• Should not have received exercise training for more than 20 minutes at a time, 3 days/week, or more in the past 6 months before participating in the research.
• Should not have symptoms of mental disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or depression.
• Should have passed the pre-exercise readiness assessment (PAR-Q).
• Must be willing to participate in the research and sign the consent form to take part in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

• A force majeure event, such as illness, that prevents participation in the research.
• Participation in less than 80% of the research sessions (must participate 29 times out of 36 times).
• Unwillingness to continue participating in the research.