Table 1:
Demographic variables of elderly Malaysian subjects undergoing a combined dance and relaxation intervention as compared to controls undergoing relaxation exercises alone (N = 84)
| Variable | n (%) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Control group (n = 40) | Intervention group (n = 44) | ||
| Cognitive impairment* | 0.185 | ||
| Mild | 30 (75.0) | 38 (86.4) | |
| Moderate | 10 (25.0) | 6 (13.6) | |
| Age in years | 0.287 | ||
| >60 | 21 (52.5) | 18 (40.9) | |
| >70 | 19 (47.5) | 26 (59.1) | |
| Gender | 0.662 | ||
| Male | 21 (52.5) | 21 (47.7) | |
| Female | 19 (47.5) | 23 (52.3) | |
| Education level | 0.693 | ||
| None | 11 (27.5) | 9 (20.5) | |
| Primary | 22 (55.0) | 25 (56.8) | |
| Secondary/tertiary | 7 (17.5) | 10 (22.7) | |
| Anxiety† | 0.433 | ||
| Borderline abnormal | 33 (82.5) | 32 (72.7) | |
| Abnormal | 7 (17.5) | 12 (27.3) | |
| Depression† | 0.073 | ||
| Borderline abnormal | 32 (80.0) | 36 (81.8) | |
| Abnormal | 8 (20.0) | 8 (18.2) | |
| QOL‡ | 0.915 | ||
| Low | 25 (62.5) | 27 (61.4) | |
| High | 15 (37.5) | 17 (38.6) | |
QOL = quality of life.
*
Cognitive impairment was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination with scores of 21–28 and 10–20 out of 30 indicating mild and moderate cognitive impairment, respectively.14