Background: Many studies have highlighted the positive effects of dance in people with neurodegenerative diseases. Objectives: To explore the effects of International Ballroom Dancing on cognitive function in elders with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). Methods: One-hundred twenty-nine elderly patients with aMCI diagnosis (mean age 66.8 ± 10.1 years) were randomly assigned into 2 groups: intervention group (IG, n = 66) and control group (CG, n = 63). The IG exercised systematically for 10 months, and both groups were submitted to extensive neuropsychological assessment prior and after the 10-month period. Results: According to the independent sample t test at the follow-up, significant differences between groups were found in benefit of the IG while the CG showed worse performance in the majority of neuropsychological tests. According to the Student t test, better performance is detected in IG in contrast with CG, which had worse performance almost in all scales. Conclusion: Dance may be an important nonpharmacological approach that can benefit cognitive functions.

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.

Purpose -The study aims to: measure brand associations in the context of a fitness club, test the influence of brand associations on the development of brand loyalty, and investigate the role of service quality on the development of brand associations. Design/methodology/approach -A total of 165 members of a managed-owned fitness club, located in North Greece, participated in the study. They completed a 25-item questionnaire to measure brand associations, and a 25-item questionnaire to measure service quality. Findings -The exploratory factor analysis revealed eight brand association factors: popularity, management, logo, escape, vicarious achievement, nostalgia, pride and affect. In terms of the relationships among brand associations, loyalty and service quality, the regression analyses revealed that: five of the eight brand associations (escape, nostalgia, pride, logo, and affect) significantly contributed to the prediction of loyalty, the service quality dimensions predicted significant amount of variances in all the eight brand associations. Practical implications -The study provides support for the value of measuring brand associations in the fitness industry. Furthermore, various suggestions related to how fitness club managers can measure brand associations and design marketing strategies in order to develop them, are discussed. Originality/value -The study provides empirical verification of the links among brand associations, brand loyalty and service quality, which have been theoretically proposed, but not empirically tested in the literature.

This preliminary study examined the effect of a 10-wk traditional Greek dance program on static and dynamic balance indices in healthy elderly adults. Twenty-six community-dwelling older adults were randomly assigned to either an intervention group who took supervised Greek traditional dance classes for 10 wk (1 hr, 2 sessions/week,n= 14), or a control group (n= 12). Balance was assessed pre- and postintervention by recording the center-of-pressure (COP) variations and trunk kinematics during performance of the Sharpened-Romberg test, 1-leg (OL) stance, and dynamic weight shifting (WS). After practice, the dance group significantly decreased COP displacement and trunk sway in OL stance. A significant increase in the range of trunk rotation was noted during performance of dynamic WS in the sagittal and frontal planes. These findings support the use of traditional dance as an effective means of physical activity for improving static and dynamic balance control in the elderly.

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