UCLA Gets Funds to Create Anti-Obesity Campaign Through Dance

By November 11, 2013 News & Articles No Comments

Fotolia_5171480_XS-300x207When UCLA pub­lic health researchers went look­ing for ways to increase phys­i­cal activ­ity in some of the nation’s inner-city, minor­ity neigh­bor­hoods, they only had to look inside those neigh­bor­hoods to find answers: Younger African-American peo­ple liked to dance to hip-hop. In Latino neigh­bor­hoods, salsa was the music of choice. And in some Appalachian com­mu­ni­ties, fancy foot­work referred to as “talk­ing dance” got peo­ple up and moving.

That atten­tion to detail—respecting a community’s pref­er­ences, cul­tures and leaders—has earned the UCLA Field­ing School of Pub­lic Health a $20 mil­lion fed­eral grant to imple­ment a nation­wide anti-obesity cam­paign in urban areas across the coun­try. With the grant, the school’s largest ever, the pro­gram will apply two decades of research on ways to curb obe­sity in minor­ity com­mu­ni­ties through phys­i­cal activ­ity and improved nutrition.

Reduc­ing the nation’s obe­sity rate is one of the nation’s top pub­lic health goals, accord­ing to the Cen­ters for Dis­ease Con­trol and Pre­ven­tion. About one-third of Amer­i­cans are obese, but the rates are even higher in many eth­nic, urban neighborhoods.

Are you look­ing to get active and take on the bat­tle of the bulge? Try danc­ing! Con­tact us to learn about new stu­dent pro­mo­tions and gift certificates!