Healing minds, moving bodies: measuring the mental health effects of online dance during the COVID-19 pandemic

Figures & data

Table 1. Demographics A. frequency table b. contingency table.

Mean age = 32.47		n = 47
Household income		Household income
% Low income	32%	Low income	15
% Middle income	47%	Middle income	22
% High income	21%	High income	10
Education		Education
% High school/GED or lower	4%	High school/GED or lower	2
% Some college	4%	Some college	2
% College degree	43%	College degree	20
% Advanced degree	49%	Advanced degree	23
Employment Status		Employment Status
% Working full time	38%	Working full time	18
% Working part time	38%	Working part time	18
% Not working	23%	Not working	11
Sex		Sex
% Female	91%	Female	43
% Male	9%	Male	4
Race		Race
% White/Caucasian	77%	White/Caucasian	36
% Black/African American	6%	Black/African American	3
% Asian	13%	Asian	6
% Other	4%	Other	2
Ethnicity		Ethnicity
% Hispanic	2%	Hispanic	1
% Non-hispanic	98%	Non-hispanic	46
Urban vs Rural Community		Urban vs Rural Community
% Urban	49%	Urban	23
% Rural	51%	Rural	24
BMI		BMI
% Underweight (<18.5)	2%	Underweight (<18.5)	1
% Normal Weight (18.5–24.9)	55%	Normal Weight (18.5–24.9)	26
% Overweight (25–29.9)	23%	Overweight (25–29.9)	11
% Obese (>30)	19%	Obese (>30)	9

Figure 1. Relationship of learning styles to primary outcomes. A. The Barsch visual learning score showed a significant positive association to the change in social connectivity as measured by the Inclusion of Community in Self Scale. B. The Barsch tactile learning score showed a significant negative association to the change in negative affect score as measured by the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. Statistically significant at p<0.05.

Figure 2. Relationship of class experience to primary outcomes. A. Perceived level of enjoyment showed a significant positive association to the change in positive affect score as measured by the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. B. Perceived level of difficulty showed a significant positive association to the change in anxiety as measured by the Beck Anxiety Inventory. Statistically significant at p<0.05.

Figure 3. Relationship of dance history to primary outcomes. Years of dance experience showed a significant negative association to the change in positive affect. Statistically significant at p < 0.05.

Figure 4. Common themes identified from participant testimonials.

Table 2. Participant feedback regarding their online dance class experience.

Positive Feedback	Negative/Other Feedback
‘I have been aching for a way to start moving my body especially since the pandemic hit. Thank you so much for this opportunity.’	‘As much as I love the spirit of these classes … zoom is so HARD. I miss getting to chat with people before, during, and after class. They don’t feel as social on Zoom.’
‘I really enjoyed doing this study. I felt nervous about turning the camera on for the individual groups but I did it and just decided to do my best. Thank you!’	‘I expected to do more choreography in the class than just ballet and movement exercises.’
‘I was diagnosed with minor depression and go through good and bad days. Dance always helps me out and when I first took the survey, I was not having the best day but today (post dance) has been a very good and happy day.’	‘The only comment I have is that I had some difficulty following because I could see everyone in small boxes instead of just [the instructor].’
‘This has motivated me to be involved in more classes like this after remembering and recognizing how movement, exercise, and class unity makes me feel!’	‘The current pandemic has affected us all in isolation from friends, family and general social interactions. I was surprised the survey did not ask us to consider answering the questions from a time from before or currently during the pandemic isolation. It clearly has some impact on my answers.’
‘The class was fantastic and the instructor was so lovely and cheerful. Please tell her she was a ray of sunshine in my day:)’	‘ … A lot of time during the class, I couldn’t see the instructor’s feet. I could see the feet of the other person she had with her, but it was hard to split attention between looking at that person’s feet and listening to the instructor … I finally figured out how to pin the instructor’s video because here and there someone would do something and their video would come up instead, which was annoying. It would be good if instructions on how to do that were shared at the beginning.’
‘I’m not a dancer, but I really enjoyed the class! Now that I’ve got my workout clothes on, I’m going to do some yoga (my true love) after finishing this survey.’	‘A concern on wording it that the questionnaire asks about how “often” you feel something “right now.” This wording can lend itself to multiple interpretations, and I may have been back and forth on the two while taking it; thanks for the fun class!’
‘This was fun! Thanks! It gave me and my husband a fun activity to do together.’	‘Will there be any follow up to participants with the results from the study? I think this is an awesome study and I was glad I could participate, I’m very curious to see what results you receive. Thank you for the opportunity to get my body moving during this hard time for me. Keep being awesome and teaching positive classes!’
‘ … I was preparing for my coming qualifying exam. I really enjoyed the engagement with other people during the dance class. Thanks a lot for the class!’	‘Not sure why, but I had a bit of nausea (bad lunch?), and a lot of emotional release nearing [the] end of class, and so I didn’t feel super positive after exercise/dance as I might normally. Thanks for class anyhow!’