ADDRESSING THE PUBLIC HEALTH CHALLENGE OF OBESITY THROUGH A NOVEL STRATEGY

Abstract

The prevalence of overweight and obesity-which have, during the past decade, joined underweight, malnutrition, and infectious diseases as major health problems threatening the developing world including India, has taken an alarming shape. Although obesity is a multi-factorial issue, evidences indicated the role of physical inactivity in its causation.As risk factors are being identified, various approaches have been tried out; but effective long term outcomes are yet to be obtained for prevention of the looming threat of obesity. Therefore, the challenge is to search for some novel and acceptable strategies to curb the rising trend of obesity. On the other hand, it is well known that India has a tradition of practicing dance, an appealing form of physical activity, for centuries. An attempt, in this context, has been made to assess and document the impact of being trained inBharatnatyam, an Indian classical dance form, on obesity status of Bengalee females of age range 25-30 years. A significant (P < 0.05) favorable impact of undergoing training and regular practicing of Bharatnatyam has been found. As a cost effective and holistic approach, Bharatnatyamcan be a choice to address obesity, the new age public health issue.