Research from JAMA Pediatrics — Influencing Self-rated Health Among Adolescent Girls With Dance Intervention — A Randomized Controlled Trial

‘‘I feel free’’: Experiences of a dance intervention for adolescent girls with internalizing problems

Objective: To investigate whether a dance intervention for adolescent girls reduces stress-related symptoms. Methods: This was a randomized controlled trial of an after-school intervention. Participants were 112 girls aged 13 to 18 years with stress-related somatic symptoms and emotional distress. The intervention comprised twice-weekly dance sessions for 8 months with a focus on enjoyment and socialization. A questionnaire was administered at baseline and after 8, 12 and 20 months. Participants rated the frequency with which they had experienced somatic symptoms and emotional distress during the previous 3 months. Results: After the intervention, there was a significantly greater reduction in somatic symptoms and emotional distress in the dance intervention group than in the control group. The difference in the mean score change on a 5-point scale was 0.26 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.04 to 0.47) for somatic symptoms and 0.30 (95% CI: 0.04 to 0.58) for emotional distress. Conclusion: Dance interventions may reduce somatic symptoms and emotional distress in adolescent girls, and may constitute a nonpharmacological complement to school health services. However, continued participation is needed for long-term sustainable results. Additional randomized studies are required to further evaluate the effect of this type of intervention in different settings. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov. Study name: ‘Influencing Adolescent Girls With Creative Dance Twice Weekly’. URL: http: //clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT01523561 . Trial registration number: NCT01523561.

The increasing prevalence of psychological health problems among adolescent girls is alarming. Knowledge of beneficial effects of physical activity on psychological health is widespread. Dance is a popular form of exercise that could be a protective factor in preventing and treating symptoms of depression. The aim of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of a dance intervention in addition to usual school health services for adolescent girls with internalizing problems, compared with usual school health services alone. A cost-utility analysis from a societal perspective based on a randomized controlled intervention trial was performed. The setting was a city in central Sweden with a population of 130 000. A total of 112 adolescent girls, 13–18 years old, with internalizing problems participated in the study. They were randomly assigned to intervention (n = 59) or control (n = 53) group. The intervention comprised dance twice weekly during eight months in addition to usual school health services. Costs for the stakeholder of the intervention, treatment effect and healthcare costs were considered. Gained quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) were used to measure the effects. Quality of life was measured with the Health Utility Index Mark 3. Cost-effectiveness ratios were based on the changes in QALYs and net costs for the intervention group compared with the control group. Likelihood of cost-effectiveness was calculated. At 20 months, quality of life had increased by 0.08 units more in the intervention group than in the control group (P = .04), translating to 0.10 gained QALYs. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was USD $3,830 per QALY and the likelihood of cost-effectiveness was 95%. Intervention with dance twice weekly in addition to usual school health services may be considered cost-effective compared with usual school health services alone, for adolescent girls with internalizing problems. Name of the trial registry: “Influencing Adolescent Girls’ With Creative Dance Twice Weekly” Trial registration number: NCT01523561

Background: Functional abdominal pain disorders (FAPDs) affect children, especially girls, all over the world. The evidence for existing treatments is mixed, and effective accessible treatments are needed. Dance, a rhythmic cardio‐respiratory activity, combined with yoga, which enhances relaxation and focus, may provide physiological and psychological benefits that could help to ease pain.Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a dance and yoga intervention on maximum abdominal pain in 9‐ to 13‐year‐ old girls with FAPDs.Methods: This study was a prospective randomized controlled trial with 121 participants recruited from outpatient clinics as well as the general public. The intervention group participated in dance and yoga twice weekly for 8 months; controls received standard care. Abdominal pain, as scored on the Faces Pain Scale–Revised, was recorded in a pain diary. A linear mixed model was used to estimate the outcomes and effect sizes.Results: Dance and yoga were superior to standard health care alone, with a medium to high between‐group effect size and significantly greater pain reduction (b = −1.29, p = 0.002) at the end of the intervention.Conclusions: An intervention using dance and yoga is likely a feasible and beneficial complementary treatment to standard health care for 9‐ to 13‐year‐old girls with FAPDs.Significance: FAPDs affect children, especially girls, all over the world. The negative consequences such as absence from school, high consumption of medical care and depression pose a considerable burden on children and their families and effective treatments are needed. This is the first study examining a combined dance/yoga intervention for young girls with FAPDs and the result showed a reduction of abdominal pain. These findings contribute with new evidence in the field of managing FAPDs in a vulnerable target group.

Background Functional abdominal pain disorders (FAPDs) affect children worldwide, being more prevalent among girls. The individual and societal burdens of the disease are substantial, and evidence-based interventions are needed. Non-pharmacological treatments have generally produced promising results, with dance and yoga specifically having potential as an effective treatment option. Beside efficacy, the cost-effectiveness of interventions is important when prioritizing and allocating public resources. Objective This study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of an 8-month dance and yoga intervention for girls with functional abdominal pain or irritable bowel syndrome, based on a randomized control trial called ‘Just in TIME’. Methods The intervention, performed in Sweden, was studied using a decision analysis tool, i.e., a decision tree within the trial followed by a Markov model with a time horizon of 10 years. The base case considered healthcare costs as well as productivity losses, measuring the effects in gained quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) and presenting an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). Results The base case results show that the intervention, compared with current practice, was the dominant strategy from both the 12-month and long-term perspectives. The sensitivity analyses indicated that the long-term, but not the short-term, findings were robust for different assumptions and changes in parameter estimates, resulting in ICERs similar to those of the base case scenario. Conclusions Offering dance and yoga to young girls with FAPDs generates small QALY gains and monetary savings compared with standard healthcare and is likely cost-effective. These findings make a valuable contribution to an area where evidence-based and cost-effective treatment interventions are needed. Clinical Trials Registration Number ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02920268; Name: Just in TIME—Intervention With Dance and Yoga for Girls With Recurrent Abdominal Pain