Childhood Obesity in Italy.
“THE BENEVENTO STUDY” and why your child should dance and exericise!
According to Davis F. Tgizi-Williamson, Ph.D. of the Center for disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Giorgia, USA, “the Benevento Study is the most recent report to signal that childhood obesity is a growing problem in Italy, rivaling levels of childhood obesity in the United States!”
During the European Forum on Young People’s Health, held in Florence, Italy, in September 2006, various studies were cited which demonstrated that childhood obesity is an acute health crisis; for example, measures of body composition showed that 10-30% of European children 7-11 years of age, and 8-25% of European adolescents ages 14-17 carried excess fat.
The risks of excess body fat in children and adolescents go far beyond the development of a negative self-image. Body fat in excess seriously increases the risk of developing Type II Diabetes, Heart Disease, and other chronic diseases BEFORE or during adulthood.
One of the major causes of this acute health crisis is lack of physical exercise. Children and adolescents need to move, run, play. They need to dance.
Hip Hop, Jazz Dance, Modern, Sport Dancing are all fun, stimulating ways of burning calories AND learning the latest moves. It helps children and teenagers develop coordination, agility, and grace. It develops dynamic strength and flexibility. Dance increases blood circulation to muscles and vital organs.
Increased circulation garantees that oxygen rich blood reaches the brain; this in turn helps brain function such as memory, concentration, and learning.
Coordinated movement to music helps increase a young student’s ability to study and retain information while having a fun break from the pressures of school. In addition, dance and exercise in general help to burn calories and increase metabolism thereby decreasing body fat in excess. Exercise also maintains lean muscle and bones.
Parents – do not underestimate the benefits of dance and exercise for your child!
