A recent survey has disclosed that obesity was setting in before adolescence phase and an increasing number of children have a high body mass index ratio than the ideal.
Body mass index (BMI) is a key indicator of overall fitness and is directly related to obesity-related malaise with low BMI ratios having direct correlation to immunity-related malaise.
From Timesofindia.indiatimes.com:
The study was built into the curriculum of 21 schools in 15 cities. It involved a cross sectional study across 4098 children (2200 boys and 1898 girls).
Children were measured on Body Mass Index, aerobic (measured by making children run/walk for 600 meters) and anaerobic capacities (making children cover a 30 meter sprint), Muscle strength (measured by Sit & Reach activity, Sit Ups, Standing Long Jump), endurance and flexibility.
Reshma Nayak, Programme leader, Yenepoya School, Mangalore (a school that participated in the study) said lifestyles of children have become more passive and space constraints in cities have resulted in children not having an opportunity to play enough and becoming prone to health hazards.
However, a nine month, in-curriculum, controlled fitness-led physical education program in their respective schools on 667 children, showed improvement on fitness indicators assessed on like endurance, abdominal strength, increase in percentage of children with right BMI and flexibility.
The survey by Bangalore-based EduSports, a sports-management company, suggested that a whopping 42 percent of surveyed children didn’t possess ideal BMI ratios.
