SFU PhD candidate Iris Lesser is currently conducting a study on the health benefits of Indian bhangra dance in postmenopausal Southeast Asian women.

Lesser said of the study, “We were originally interested in seeing whether physical activity improved the women’s cardiovascular health. We wanted to make sure that the activity was something that they wanted to do.”

Although the results are not yet conclusive, women who have completed the 12-week session bhangra program say it is having positive mental effects, Lesser told the South Asian Link.

The study is being conducted by SFU’s Community Health Research Team (CoHeaRT), an organization composed of researchers who are developing community-centered strategies to improve disease management and residents’ physical activity levels.

The women are participating in this program as part of the South Asian Exercise Trial (SAET), a project that tests the effectiveness of various exercise programs for South Asian women. This population’s physical activity levels are generally quite low and have been shown to contribute to more than 20 per cent of heart disease deaths within the population.

Lesser currently has 75 women enrolled in the program, after calling for participants via radio and TV ads in the South Asian community.

“The [positives] extend beyond obvious physical benefits they are receiving from their exercise.” 

Iris Lesser, SFU PhD candidate

The program was made possible in part thanks to Lesser’s connections with the Vancouver International Bhangra Festival (VIBC). One of the emcees of the event, Mandeep Patrola, serves as the fitness instructor for the program’s bhangra classes.

According to Lesser, it is an activity that the women really relate to. “The women are drawn to it,” she explained, “because there is something culturally significant about bhangra that brings them together. The [positives] extend beyond obvious physical benefits they are receiving from their exercise, as they develop a sense of community and friendship as well.”

Before starting the program, Lesser and her colleagues measure a participant’s eligibility via a health assessment, monitoring their cardiovascular risk factors and their muscle mass. The participants then go on to bhangra classes three times a week for three months, before they are taken back to the lab and monitored for changes to these aspects of their physical health.

While the exact results and conclusion of the study are still being analyzed, they are expected to be available to the public by early 2015.

Lesser said of this involvement from media outlets and community members, “We [. . .] expect the translation of knowledge from this study to be fluid because of our partners, and to find ways to start increasing physical activity in the community through interventions like this one.”