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In 2021, dancers from one of our BB4B classes were invited to participate in a study with Dr. Kristen Pickett and her lab at the UW-Madison Kinesiology department examining the effectiveness of our class on many measures, including balance and self-reported confidence in various daily activities.

The results are in!  UW-Madison Doctor of Occupational Therapy students presented the findings at the recent American Occupational Therapy Association conference.

Using highly-regarded, valid, commonly-used tools, the researchers found improvement in occupational performance according to the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure, which identifies and measures the issues important to each person in their daily life.

Improvement was also seen in balance confidence using the Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale screening tool.

While this is only a pilot study, it reflects what we have seen over our nine years offering these classes:  People regularly report an increase in confidence and enjoyment, and a decrease in fear. That’s HUGE!

Why?

Increasingly research shows that fear and low confidence in one’s abilities are the factors that can MOST predict a fall.

Strength, coordination, healthy vision, and overall good health DO MATTER. AND…if we can help ourselves feel more confident even while we are working to maximize our potential, our risk of falls can decrease!

So let’s keep dancing, playing pickleball or ping pong, doing tai chi, and all the movement that makes us happy!