University of Massachusetts Amherst: Seeking Adult Participants for Research Study on Dance Participation and Health

Researchers from the Laboratory for the Scientific Study of Dance (LAB:SYNC) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst are currently conducting a new study titled “Measurement of Professional Dance Training Exposures and Health Correlates in 18 to 85-year-old adults.

We are looking for 18- to 85-year-old adults who are able to walk safely on a treadmill and who would be interested in dancing solo (in their usual way) while in our laboratory. No prior dance training is required to join the study.

During the study, participants will be asked to:

wear an activity monitor on their wrist while engaged in their daily business as usual for nine days.
make three visits to the lab at UMass Amherst (about 6 hours in total) and
complete a small number of physical health assessments, including resting energy expenditure and an EKG.
provide saliva and fingernail samples; complete an iDXA scan.
complete questionnaires on mental health status.
walk on a treadmill.
dance in the lab.
describe their experiences of dancing in the lab.
No prior dance participation of any kind is required to join the study. All study participants will receive up to $100 for their time.

Participants must be adults (ages 18- to 85-years old) who are:

able to refrain from eating any food or drinking any beverages, except for water, for 4 to 8 hours.
able to walk safely on a treadmill.
able to engage in vigorous exercise.
nonsmokers; not pregnant; without a pacemaker or other implanted medical device.
not taking medications that may impact cardiovascular responses to exercise.
without a bone, joint, or soft tissue (muscle, tendon, ligament) problem that could be made worse by becoming more active.
without a chronic medical condition, such as a heart condition, metabolic or renal disease.