Effects of a 12-Week Zumba Training Program on Estimated Aerobic Capacity and Exploratory Hematological and Inflammatory Outcomes in Overweight/Obese Postmenopausal Women: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.
6 affiliations
- 1High Institute of Sports and Physical Education of Kef, University of Jendouba, Boulifa University Campus, Kef 7100, Tunisia.
- 2Research Unit "Sport Sciences, Health and Movement" (UR22JS01), University of Jendouba, Kef 7100, Tunisia.
- 3Department of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, Aurel Vlaicu University of Arad, 310025 Arad, Romania.
- 4Department of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Law and Social Sciences, University "1 Decembrie 1918" of Alba Iulia, 510009 Alba Iulia, Romania.
- 5Department of Physical Education and Sport, Stefan cel Mare University, 720229 Suceava, Romania.
- 6Department of Kinesiology, Health Promotion and Recreation, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203, USA.
Abstract
This pilot randomized controlled trial investigated the effects of a 12-week Zumba training program on estimated aerobic capacity in overweight/obese postmenopausal women, while hematological and inflammatory outcomes were explored. Thirty overweight/obese postmenopausal women were randomly assigned to a Zumba group (ZG, n = 15) or a control group (CG, n = 15). Eight participants withdrew, and 22 completers (11/group) completed the study and were included in the per-protocol analysis. The ZG completed supervised 60 min sessions three times weekly for 12 weeks, whereas the CG maintained its usual lifestyle habits. Estimated maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂max), maximal aerobic speed (MAS), hematological parameters, and inflammatory biomarkers were assessed before and after the intervention. Intervention effects were assessed using baseline-adjusted analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Estimated VO₂max was higher in the ZG than CG at follow-up (adjusted difference: 3.59 mL·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹; partial eta squared (ηp²) = 0.683). Exploratory differences were observed for mean platelet volume (0.701 fL; ηp² = 0.400) and neutrophils (0.961 × 10³/μL; ηp² = 0.287), whereas no clear effects were identified for other hematological outcomes. Neither C-reactive protein nor erythrocyte sedimentation rate showed a clear effect. Zumba may improve estimated aerobic capacity, while the hematological findings remain exploratory and hypothesis-generating.
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BibTeX
@article{saadouni2026effects,
title = {{Effects of a 12-Week Zumba Training Program on Estimated Aerobic Capacity and Exploratory Hematological and Inflammatory Outcomes in Overweight/Obese Postmenopausal Women: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.}},
author = {Hanen Saadouni and Hamza Marzouki and Nejmeddine Ouerghi and Okba Selmi and Soukeina Hattabi and Vlad Adrian Geantă and Viorel Petru Ardelean and Vasile Emil Ursu and Daniela Giconda Burac and Jakob L Vingren and Anissa Bouassida},
journal = {Sports (Basel, Switzerland)},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/sports14100441},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42931578},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Effects of a 12-Week Zumba Training Program on Estimated Aerobic Capacity and Exploratory Hematological and Inflammatory Outcomes in Overweight/Obese Postmenopausal Women: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.
AU - Hanen Saadouni
AU - Hamza Marzouki
AU - Nejmeddine Ouerghi
AU - Okba Selmi
AU - Soukeina Hattabi
AU - Vlad Adrian Geantă
AU - Viorel Petru Ardelean
AU - Vasile Emil Ursu
AU - Daniela Giconda Burac
AU - Jakob L Vingren
AU - Anissa Bouassida
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/08
JO - Sports (Basel, Switzerland)
DO - 10.3390/sports14100441
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42931578
AB - This pilot randomized controlled trial investigated the effects of a 12-week Zumba training program on estimated aerobic capacity in overweight/obese postmenopausal women, while hematological and inflammatory outcomes were explored. Thirty overweight/obese postmenopausal women were randomly assigned to a Zumba group (ZG, n = 15) or a control group (CG, n = 15). Eight participants withdrew, and 22 completers (11/group) completed the study and were included in the per-protocol analysis. The ZG completed supervised 60 min sessions three times weekly for 12 weeks, whereas the CG maintained its usual lifestyle habits. Estimated maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂max), maximal aerobic speed (MAS), hematological parameters, and inflammatory biomarkers were assessed before and after the intervention. Intervention effects were assessed using baseline-adjusted analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Estimated VO₂max was higher in the ZG than CG at follow-up (adjusted difference: 3.59 mL·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹; partial eta squared (ηp²) = 0.683). Exploratory differences were observed for mean platelet volume (0.701 fL; ηp² = 0.400) and neutrophils (0.961 × 10³/μL; ηp² = 0.287), whereas no clear effects were identified for other hematological outcomes. Neither C-reactive protein nor erythrocyte sedimentation rate showed a clear effect. Zumba may improve estimated aerobic capacity, while the hematological findings remain exploratory and hypothesis-generating.
SN - 2075-4663
ER -