The Health-Enhancing Efficacy of Zumba® Fitness: An 8-Week Randomised Controlled Study

The purpose of this study was to gain a holistic understanding of the efficacy of Zumba® fitness in a community-recruited cohort of overweight and physically inactive women by evaluating i) its physiological effects on cardiovascular risk factors and inflammatory biomarkers and ii) its mental health-enhancing effects on factors of health-related quality of life. Participants were randomly assigned to either engagement in one to two 1 h classes of Zumba® fitness weekly (intervention group; n = 10) or maintenance of habitual activity (control group; n = 10). Laboratory assessments were conducted pre- (wk 0) and post-intervention (wk 8) with anthropometric, physiological, inflammatory, and health-related quality of life data collected. In the intervention group, maximal oxygen uptake significantly increased (p <0.05; partial η2 = 0.56) by 3.1 mL•kg-1•min-1, percent body fat significantly decreased (p <0.05; partial η2 = 0.42) by –1.2%, and interleukin-6 and white blood cell count both significantly decreased (p <0.01) by –0.4 pg•mL-1 (partial η2 = 0.96) and –2.1 109 cell•L-1 (partial η2 = 0.87), respectively. Large magnitude enhancements were observed in the health-related quality of life factors of physical functioning, general health, energy/fatigue, and emotional well-being. When interpreted in a community-based physical activity and psychosocial health promotion context, our data suggest that Zumba® fitness is indeed an efficacious health-enhancing activity for adults.