Decreasing Alzheimer's Risk Through oNline Choreographed Exercise - Down Syndrome (DANCE-DS)

March 12, 2026 updated by: University of Kansas Medical Center

The investigators are assessing acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of an remote choreographed exercise intervention using validated scales alongside qualitative data among young adults with Down Syndrome. Participants will take part in a 12-week exercise program with two 35-minute session per week delivered in a group setting. The aims of the project are to:

  • Assess the feasibility of a 12 week remotely delivered group dance intervention.
  • Assess changes in aerobic fitness and cognitive function in response to a 12 week remotely delivered group dance intervention.
  • Assess the intensity and total energy expenditure of remotely delivered group dance sessions.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The incidence of Alzheimer's disease for persons with Down syndrome exceeds 90%, and physical activity engagement has demonstrated potential to delay onset of Alzheimer's disease for this population. Adults with Down syndrome participate in less physical activity than their counterparts without disability, partially due to unique barriers preventing engagement in typical modalities of physical activity for this population. Dance, which is characterized by rhythmic physical movements offers the potential for social engagement, and stimulation of brain functions may offer a reasonable alternative to traditional physical activity modalities. However, empirical evidence to support the feasibility of a remotely delivered group dance intervention and evaluation of the intensity and energy expenditure achieved by a dance intervention for adults with Down syndrome are currently unavailable and will be the focus of the proposed pilot trial. Adults with Down will be asked to attend 35 minute remotely delivered (Zoom®) group dance sessions twice weekly across 12 weeks to assess the acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of the intervention, energy expenditure achieved during the exercise sessions, and evaluate change in aerobic fitness and cognitive function after 12 weeks.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

20

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Kansas
      • Kansas City, Kansas, United States, 66160
        • University of Kansas Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosis of Down syndrome
  • Sufficient functional ability to communicate through spoken language
  • No plans to relocate outside the study area over the next 12 weeks
  • Possession of a personal device that allows for connectivity to the internet and participate in 2x weekly group video calls
  • Ability to participate in Moderate to vigorous physical activity

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Serious medical risk (e.g., cancer, recent heart attack, stroke, pregnancy, angioplasty as determined by the research staff
  • unwilling to participate in outcomes assessments
  • uninterested

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Decreasing Alzheimer's Risk Through oNline Choreographed Exercise - Down Syndrome
Participants will be asked to attend 35 minute, remotely delivered, group exercise classes using choreographed exercise twice a week for 12 weeks.
Behavioral: Decreasing Alzheimer's Risk Through oNline Choreographed Exercise - Down Syndrome Program
Adults with Down syndrome will be asked to attend 35 minute, remotely delivered (Zoom®) group dance sessions twice weekly across 12 weeks. All sessions will be directed by an instructor experienced in leading 35 minute, group remote exercise sessions for individuals with intellectual disability as part of the ongoing exercise program for individuals with intellectual disability offered by the Division for Physical Activity and Weight Management.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Attendance
Time Frame: 12 weeks
Attendance at each 35-minute online exercise classes will be collected. Attendance will be assessed as the number of sessions attended out of the total number of sessions available (24 sessions available).
12 weeks
Retention
Time Frame: 12 weeks
Participant retention will be collected based on the number of participants who complete the 12 week intervention. A total of up to 20 participants will be enrolled into the study. Participants that complete the 12-week intervention will be considered retained. Any participant that discontinues participation prior to the end of the 12-week intervention will not be considered retained.
12 weeks
Adverse Events
Time Frame: 12 weeks
Adverse events will be collected on a weekly basis.
12 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Energy Expenditure
Time Frame: 1 session
Energy expenditure during a dance session (kilocalories per minute; Metabolic equivalents (METs) will be assessed by portable indirect calorimetry. Measurement was taken during one class session per participant, between weeks 4-12 of the 12 week intervention.
1 session
Exercise Intensity
Time Frame: 12 weeks
Exercise intensity will be assessed as an average of the percent of age-estimated maximal heart rate achieved during dance sessions assessed time spent in moderate to vigorous intensity as defined by the COSMED device.
12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Kansas Medical Center

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

August 2, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

May 9, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

May 9, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 18, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 2, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

August 5, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 13, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 12, 2026

Last Verified

March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • T32AG078114 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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