DANCE IN THE TREATMENT OF CHILDHOOD OBESITY: A PROPOSED PROTOCOL

ABSTRACT Introduction: Low levels of daily physical activity is considered to be one of the causes of the exorbitant increase in overweight and obese children, and associated comorbidities. Therefore, it is vital to develop strategies that will be implemented consistently, to improve this situation. Studies have used dance as a resource for training overweight and obese children, but the lack of information about the creation process and its respective stages reduce the possibility of these proposals being effectively applied. Objectives: To describe the steps in the creation of a dance protocol as a training resource, and its effectiveness in improving the health parameters of overweight and obese children. Methods: 30 children (9 ± 1.1 years) underwent training sessions consisting of a five-minute warm-up at 60% HRmax., and four 10-minute sessions at 70% to 80% at HRmax. interspersed with five 2-minute active recovery periods at 60% HRmax. The sessions were carried out three times a week, and lasted 60 minutes each, over a 13-week period. Before and after the training, the body composition, body mass index (BMI), BMI z-score, waist circumference (WC), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure and blood variables were measured. Statistical analysis was performed using a mixed effects regression model. Results: After training with Afro-Brazilian dance, there was a significant reduction (p