PATHUMTHANI, Thailand (AP) -- Nearly 4,500 Thai contestants celebrated after setting a world record for the most people dancing with hula hoops simultaneously in one place.

Guinness World Records adjudicator Seyda Subasi-Gemici said Tuesday that 4,483 people had swung hula hoops to dance music for seven minutes without interruption.

The event drew 5,000 participants to an open-air stadium at Thammasat University, but 517 contestants dropped off after they failed to keep their hoops up.

The event, organized by the Public Health Ministry's Department of Health, was aimed at creating health awareness among Thais.

The previous world record was set in Taiwan in 2011, when 2,496 participants swung hula hoops in a continuous motion for 2 minutes.