Research on the attitudes and the influence of Bulgarian folk dances on the subjective health levels of students from the Medical University of Varna

Abstract

Introduction: Bulgarian folk dances (BgFD) optimally combine physical activity, social interaction and emotional expression.

Aim: The aim of this article is to present the preliminary results of a research project investigating students' attitudes and motivations to choose BgFD as a subject, and to study the influence of practicing BgFD on their subjective health. Additionally, an anthropometric profile of the study participants is made, as well as an assessment of the students` stress levels. A driving hypothesis of the project is that BgFD are equal to any other sport activity.

Methods: The study protocol consists of a quantitative and qualitative phase. Herewith are presented the preliminary results of the quantitative phase. Based on the presentation of these results, a qualitative survey (Delphi technique) will be carried out, which will lead to an expert consensus on the place of BgFD as a discipline in the students` curriculum in all universities in Bulgaria. The study included a sample of 184 students from Bulgarian language courses, from different years and majors separated into two main groups - practicing BgFD (n=92) and non-dancing (n=92 - aerobics and volleyball sport classes). The information from the collected questionnaires was processed with IBM SPSS Statistics v.23.

Results: Survey results can be summarized into four areas: 1) History of physical activity; students` attitudes and motivation: Among the participants, around 37% have never practiced sports or BgFD. For 56.4% of those who are enrolled in BgFD classes, dances are the only weekly physical activity; 2) Assessing the levels of subjective health among students: "BgFD help for better physical and emotional health" - 78.8% of the BgFD group shared this statement. Overall, all the participants reported higher subjective health levels at the end of the semester; 3) Assessment of the stress levels of students: Data show that over 50% of the study participants have high levels of stress; 4) Anthropometric profile of the students: 59.74% of the participants are obese or overweight.

Discussion and Conclusion: There is a renaissance of the interest in BgFD among the young Bulgarian generation, which makes the reported research findings relevant and up to date. Regarding the subjective health assessment results, it may be concluded that practicing BgFD is equal to practicing sports as a physical activity. The analysis made so far provides a serious ground for the promotion of the BgFD teaching model at the Medical University of Varna which could be applied in other universities in Bulgaria.