Abstract
The unique nutritional needs of dancers generate a considerable challenge for health professionals. Currently, there is a gap in knowledge about the hydration status and fluid replacement behaviors in the dancer population. The aims of this research were to gather preliminary data to describe the current knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding fluid replacement in a population of collegiate dancers, as well as to determine if, and to what extent, those parameters change in response to a brief, individualized hydration education intervention. Eighteen healthy dance majors from The Florida State University School of Dance participated in this 5 week study and were randomly assigned to one of two groups (group A, n = 10; group B, n = 8). During weeks 1, 3 and 5, all participants completed hydration surveys and physiological measurements (changes in body weight and water bottle weight during dance classes) were taken. During weeks 2 (group A) and 4 (group B), participants received brief, individualized hydration education, which incorporated visual aids and goal setting, and a group seminar session at the end of the week, which addressed barriers to behavior changes. Hydration survey scores improved significantly in each section of the hydration survey (knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and total score) for each group over time (P ≤ 0.05), only following education. No significant differences were found for either group for the physiological measurements over time. Furthermore, there were no significant correlations between changes in body weight, fluid intake, and hydration survey scores. The findings suggest that dancers are deficient in hydration knowledge, attitudes, and reported behaviors, and confirm that an educational intervention effectively improves these parameters. However, the intervention did not seem to influence the observed physiological measurements. Future research is warranted in this area to help develop a more complete understanding of the hydration status of dancers, as well as to continue documenting outcomes regarding educational interventions with dancers.
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