Surrey kids healthier after cultural dance class: study

Researchers at BC Children’s Hospital say finding culturally-relevant exercise could be key in helping kids stay healthy.

South Asian children have a higher risk of heart disease than children of other ethnic backgrounds, according to Dr. Tricia Tang from the University of British Columbia (UBC) and BC Children’s Hospital.

Tang looked at ways to improve the cardio-respiratory health of South Asian kids and found getting them into culturally-relevant Bhangra dance classes gave a big boost to their fitness levels.

“We also found an improvement in vertical jump height, which is a measure of muscle strength and power as well as reductions in waist circumference and body mass index,” she said.

Tang focused on the health of South Asian children who seemed to be heavier and more likely to have challenges like diabetes.

But Tang says a seven-month after-school Bhangra course in Surrey saw their health indicators move in the right direction.

“When we look at the big picture of, you know, this intervention and clinical improvement, it really improved across the board. So that’s a very exciting finding,” she said.

Tang says not only did they find the kids lost weight and became healthier, but they also got stronger.

She says the findings show that when kids are active at a young age, it can create healthy habits for the rest of their lives.

“If parents can get their kids excited about physical activity, exercising, adopting these lifelong habits early on, it’s likely that when they’re adults, they’ll be equally as active,” she said.

-With files from OMNI News