Article

Objective: To compare the effects of traditional dancing with formal exercise
training in terms of functional and cardiovascular benefits and motivation in
patients with chronic heart failure. Design:
Randomized controlled trial.
Setting: Sports Medicine Laboratory. Subjects: Fifty-one Greek male patients aged
67.1+/-5.5 years with chronic heart failure of New York Heart Association (NYHA)
class II-III, participated in an eight-month study. Interventions: They were
randomly assigned to either training with Greek traditional dances (group A,
n=18), formal exercise training (group B, n=16) or a sedentary control group
(group C, n=17). Main measures: At entry and the end of the study all patients
underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing, functional ability assessment and
quality of life evaluations. The Intrinsic Motivation Inventory was also used to
assess participants' subjective experience. Results: After training group A
showed increased peak oxygen consumption by 33.8% (19.5 vs. 26.1 ml/kg/min,
p<0.05) and B by 32.3% (19.5 vs. 25.8 ml/kg/min, p<0.05), maximal treadmill
tolerance by 48.5% (p<0.05) and by 46.4% (p<0.05), and a decreased Slope of
expired minute ventilation for carbon dioxide output (VE/VCO2) slope by 18%
(p<0.05) and 19.5% (p<0.05), respectively. Trained patients revealed significant
improvement in the quality of life indices. Intrinsic Motivation Inventory was
increased only in group A by 26.2% (3.08 vs. 3.87, p<0.05). Conclusions: Exercise
training in chronic heart failure patients with Greek traditional dances led to
functional and cardiovascular benefits similar to formal exercise training and to
a higher level of motivation.

Langue : ANGLAIS