Latest news with #THANDAV
Indian Express
01-05-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
Chennai's HIIT dance routine helps adolescent girls beat obesity: Why a new study has lessons in preventive health
Thirty-nine-year old Sujatha, a homemaker in Chennai, simply loves dancing to Prabhudeva's 'Vikkalu Vikkalu.' Inspired by her daughter, she doesn't miss this 10-minute dance workout based on High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) on Fridays. 'The fast calorie burns and a variety of stretches have improved my flexibility,' she says. Meanwhile, these short dance sessions have not only kept 15-year-old Sarah Michelle energetic despite long hours at school and coaching classes, they have also increased her muscle mass, lowered her appetite for junk food and improved her sleep. A study has demonstrated the benefits of a new fitness routine called THANDAV, (Taking High-Intensity Interval Training [HIIT] And Dance to Adolescents for Victory over Non-communicable Diseases [NCDs]). This was devised by Dr Ranjith Anjana Mohan of the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation and first tested among 23 girls, aged between 10 and 17, to see if it could neutralise sedentary behaviour among school-going adolescents and improve their metabolism with a fun and crisp routine. Subjects reported that this short- burst activity was not only easy to fit into school schedules but could keep their weight in check. To validate this finding further, she conducted trials across two schools in Chennai with 108 girls aged between 13 and 15. One school did the THANDAV while the other served as a control. Over a 12-week period, the girls in the THANDAV group could increase their daily step count by 1073 steps, reduce their body fat by 2% and improve muscle mass. Additionally, participants reported significant reductions in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, along with a drop in resting heart rate by 3 bpm (beats per minute). What is THANDAV? This involves short bursts of intense activity followed by cooldown time — with dance moves set to popular songs from Bollywood, Mollywood and Tollywood. Doing this thrice a week for even 10 minutes gives you all the metabolic benefits of running 60 minutes a day every day of the week. HIIT regimens have been proven to significantly reduce body fat mass, weight and improve cardiovascular fitness in both adults and adolescents. The 10-minute HIIT routine consists of four loops to be done on four hit tracks, including a two-minute high energy (80-90 per cent heart rate) to 30-second low cooldown (50-60 per cent heart rate) moves. The movements are choreographed in a simple and repetitive manner so that they can be done in a loop without much stress. Takeaways from the study 'While we had seen weight loss before, this time the major takeaway was an increase in muscle mass, essential for foundational health that can prevent chronic illnesses in adult years. Besides, this intervention is easy to stick to and prevents childhood obesity and diabetes. It can be accommodated even between exam schedules when students tend to negotiate physical activity. That's why one in four teens is obese,' says Dr Anjana. But what impressed her the most was this fitness routine resulted in positive behavioural changes in the girls. 'They reduced junk food intake, ate more at home, cut down their sitting hours by almost 200 minutes and increased the sleep duration by almost 47 minutes. The benefits of lifestyle correction at this age can cascade into adult years,' she adds. Status of Type 2 diabetes among adolescents According to study authors, Type 2 diabetes occurs at younger ages in Indians compared to Caucasians. In fact, adolescents make up 14.2% of Type 2 diabetics. That's why regular physical activity becomes even more important for Indian teens. Currently, around 25.2 per cent of adolescents do not meet moderate-to-vigorous physical activity guidelines, with urban residents (38%) and girls (29.3%) being less likely to be active. 'Girls have to face many cultural and societal barriers but this routine blends seamlessly into their lives. They can even do this at home,' says Dr Anjana. The programme, which has already benefited over 10,000 women and girls since its launch in October 2023, has the potential to be scaled widely across schools and communities.
The Hindu
23-04-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
School-based dance routines reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases among girls, study finds
To tackle rising physical inactivity and associated health concerns among adolescents in India, a research team from Chennai conducted a study introducing a dance-based intervention to reduce non-communicable disease (NCD) risks among urban adolescent girls. Published in Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology on April 21, the study titled A Novel High-Intensity Short Interval Dance Intervention (THANDAV) for Non-Communicable Disease Prevention Tailored to Asian Indian Adolescent Girls assesses the feasibility and efficacy of the THANDAV programme – short for Taking High-Intensity Interval Training And Dance to Adolescents for Victory over NCDs. It was led by R.M. Anjana, managing director of Dr. Mohan's Diabetes Specialties Centre and president of the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, in Chennai. Design and delivery of the THANDAV model Dr. Anjana explained how this new dance-based program can help young girls in India become more active. She also addressed the cultural barriers often associated with traditional forms of exercise. 'This is the first-of-its-kind and culturally appropriate dance intervention designed to boost physical activity among girls. In our country, the term 'exercise' often has negative connotations and isn't always culturally accepted, especially for girls. So we introduced dance to make it more enjoyable and relevant,' she said. The study was carried out in two government-aided schools in Chennai, involving 108 adolescent girls aged 13 to 15. The participants were randomly assigned to an intervention or control group. Those in the intervention group engaged in a 12-week high-intensity interval training (HIIT) dance programme, consisting of ten-minute sessions conducted five times a week during school hours. The routine incorporated traditional Indian dance forms and music for cultural familiarity and appeal. The control group continued with routine physical education, which served as a comparative benchmark for physical activity and health-related outcomes. 'We started with a small pilot study to prove that it was a high-intensity activity. Now, we've taken it to schools through a randomised controlled trial, and the results have been very encouraging. The girls loved it, their mothers joined in, and we saw real health improvements -- like reduced body fat, better metabolic profiles, increased step counts, and overall lifestyle changes,' Dr. Anjana said. Key outcomes and statistical insights The study reports several statistically significant differences between the intervention and control groups across multiple physical and metabolic indicators after 12 weeks. Girls in the THANDAV group showed a substantial increase in physical activity, averaging 1,159 additional steps per day. Reductions in body mass index (BMI), total body fat percentage, and waist-to-hip ratio were also observed, suggesting improved metabolic health. ls.
