Impact of Traditional Dance and Games on Cardiovascular Health: A Scoping Review of Outcomes Across Diverse Low- and Middle-Income Countries

In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where healthcare resources may be limited, the elderly are especially vulnerable to the adverse effects of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). The aging population in these regions presents unique challenges, highlighting the urgent need for effective, accessible, and culturally appropriate interventions to address this cardiovascular health challenge in older adults. We aimed to evaluate the impact of traditional dance and games on cardiovascular health outcomes in LMICs through a scoping review of existing literature. This review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, EBSCO, SPORT Discuss, Web of Science, and the grey literature were searched from 2000 to 20 September 2024. Two reviewers independently screened the titles, abstracts, and full texts and conducted data extraction. All conflicts were resolved with a third reviewer. A total of 3465 records were identified, of which 12 full-text articles were included in the review. The studies, five randomised clinical trials and seven non-randomised clinical trials, included varied age groups and populations including healthy, sedentary and obese participants. The interventions were traditional dance and games interventions with some extension to nutrition education. All the interventions were short term, with less than 6 months follow-up. Any traditional dance styles and games that involve physical performance can induce positive health outcomes. Undertaking traditional dance and games (TDGs) is equally effective on cardiovascular, functional and metabolic adaptations, leading to comparable improvements in older adults as for other forms of structured exercise. Collaboration of health practitioners, legislators, non-governmental agencies and local communities in LMICs in using TDGs may reduce the burden of CVDs.