An interventional study of Exercise training and No exercise training in Metabolic Health, Mental Health and Physical Performance, sponsored by University of Thessaly. Recruiting at 1 site in Greece. Open to female participants aged 35 Years to 70 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-07-06.
Sponsored by University of Thessaly · Not applicable, Interventional, and Other
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In Greece, people of different age groups, including young children to older adults, participate in dance exercise training. Although it is well-known that regular participation in dancing is associated with benefits such as entertainment, socialization and increased physical activity, the long-term effects of dancing on metabolic and mental health as well as physical performance remain largely unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the effects of a 6-month dancing exercise intervention on metabolic and mental health and physical performance in premenopausal and postmenopausal women.
Twenty premenopausal and twenty postmenopausal inactive women meeting the inclusion criteria will be randomly assigned to a Control (n=20) or an Experimental group (n=20). The Control group will maintain their habitual physical activity level without participating in any form of exercise training. The Experimental group will participate in two weekly dance exercise training sessions over a 6-month period. Each session will be performed under supervision and include a 10-min warm up (2-3 dances of very slow tempo), a 45-min main dance exercise session (\~15 dances of various tempos i.e. slow, moderate and fast tempo) and a 5-min cool-down period (walking and stretching). Heart rate will be continuously monitored during each session by using heart rate monitors while the rate of perceived exertion (RPE) will be recorded at the end of each session. In addition, prior to the second dance exercise session in each week, participants' delayed onset of muscle soreness (DOMS) and wellness status (through the wellness report) will be evaluated. Prior to (Baseline) and after the intervention period (at 6 months) participants of both groups (Control and Experimental) will undergo resting blood sampling and assessment of their (i) anthropometrics, (ii) body composition, (iii) physical performance, (iv) physical activity level, (v) dietary intake, (vi) quality of life and (vii) mental health.
2,195 studies on the registry are indexed under Psychological Well-Being; 728 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 40 is below the median of 110 across 1,798 interventional studies indexed under Psychological Well-Being.
Browse Psychological Well-Being studies →University of Thessaly is the lead sponsor of 195 studies on the registry; 44 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Periods have stopped for good: usually no period for 12 months in a row without another medical reason, sometimes confirmed by a blood test (FSH).
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
Postmenopausal
Periods have stopped for good: usually no period for 12 months in a row without another medical reason, sometimes confirmed by a blood test (FSH).
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Contraindication
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants in this group will maintain their habitual physical activity level without participating in any form of exercise training
Other: No exercise training
Participants in this group will participate in two weekly dance exercise training sessions over a 6-month period
Other: Exercise training
This intervention will consist of two weekly dance exercise training sessions over a 6-month period. Each session will be performed under supervision and include a 10-min warm up (2-3 dances of very slow tempo), a 45-min main dance exercise session (\~15 dances of various tempos i.e. slow, moderate and fast tempo) and a 5-min cool-down period (walking and stretching)
It will include only habitual physical activity level without participating in any form of exercise training
Change in glucose concentration
Fasting glucose concentration will be determined in blood
Time frame: At baseline and 6 months
Change in insulin concentration
Fasting insulin concentration will be determined in blood
Time frame: At baseline and 6 months
Change in total cholesterol concentration
Total cholesterol concentration will be determined in blood
Time frame: At baseline and 6 months
Change in HDL cholesterol concentration
HDL cholesterol concentration will be determined in blood
Time frame: At baseline and 6 months
Change in LDL cholesterol concentration
LDL cholesterol concentration will be determined in blood
Time frame: At baseline and 6 months
Change in triglycerides concentration
Triglycerides concentration will be determined in blood
Time frame: At baseline and 6 months
Change in serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT/AST) concentration
SGOT concentration will be determined in blood
Time frame: At baseline and 6 months
Change in alanine aminotransferase (SGPT/ALT) concentration
SGPT concentration will be determined in blood
Time frame: At baseline and 6 months
Change in gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GT) concentration
γ-GT concentration will be determined in blood
Time frame: At baseline and 6 months
Change in body weight
Time frame: At baseline and 6 months
Change in waist circumference
Time frame: At baseline and 6 months
Change in hip circumference
Time frame: At baseline and 6 months
Change in fat mass
Fat mass will be assessed using whole-body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)
Time frame: At baseline and 6 months
Change in body fat percentage (%)
Body fat percentage (%) will be assessed using whole-body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)
Time frame: At baseline and 6 months
Change in fat free mass
Fat free mass will be assessed using whole-body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)
Time frame: At baseline and 6 months
Change in lean body mass
Lean body mass will be assessed using whole-body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)
Time frame: At baseline and 6 months
Change in cardiorespiratory fitness
Cardiorespiratory fitness will be assessed using the Ebbeling single stage treadmill test
Time frame: At baseline and 6 months
Change in functional performance
Functional performance will be assessed using the Short Physical Performance Battery
Time frame: At baseline and 6 months
Change in muscle endurance
Muscle endurance will be assessed using the push-up and curl-up testing protocols
Time frame: At baseline and 6 months
Change in resting blood pressure
Resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure will be assessed using a sphygmomanometer
Time frame: At baseline and 6 months
Change in quality of life
Quality of life will be evaluated using questionnaire
Time frame: At baseline and 6 months
Change in vitality
Vitality will be evaluated using questionnaire
Time frame: At baseline and 6 months
Change in anxiety level
Anxiety will be evaluated using questionnaire
Time frame: At baseline and 6 months
Change in flourishing
Flourishing will be evaluated using questionnaire
Time frame: At baseline and 6 months
Change in dietary intake
Dietary intake will be monitored using diet recalls
Time frame: At baseline and 6 months
Change in daily number of steps
Daily number of steps performed will be assessed using accelerometers
Time frame: At baseline and 6 months
Change in daily time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity
The time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity will be assessed using accelerometers
Time frame: At baseline and 6 months
Started May 2026 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Nov 2026, 6 months after the start.
Of 1,261 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Psychological Well-Being, half reached primary completion within 17 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 7 and three quarters within 34. This study's planned 6 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 1,304 studies reached it within 16 months; a quarter within 7 and three quarters within 34.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
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