Abstract
The incidence of obesity has risen considerably in recent years and has taken on the dimensions of a veritable social disease. In its onset and perhaps even more so in its maintenance, physical exercise plays a fundamental role: social factors (socioeconomic environment, possibility of using social structures, children being put in the hands of the elderly) favour obesity through an excessively sedentary life; the school itself often exerts a negative influence, particularly during the compulsory schooling years. The obese child presents particular endocrinometabolic characteristics as a result of which the modifications induced by even brief physical exercise are different from those observed in subjects of normal weight. Protracted, regular physical exercise is a useful therapy to be associated with dietetic treatment. Sporting activity can help to solve the psychological problems of the obese by improving the body line and thus breaking through the isolation imposed by those of the same age. Socialization is thus helped.
| Translated title of the contribution | Physical and sport activity in the prevention and treatment of obesity and diabetes in children |
|---|---|
| Original language | Italian |
| Pages (from-to) | 151-156 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Medicina dello Sport |
| Volume | 31 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Publication status | Published - 1978 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation