STUDY OF UTILITY OF MARTIAL ARTS AS A COUNTERACTIVE STRATEGY FOR IMPROVING PHYSICAL FITNESS OF OBESE TEENAGERS – A CASE OF HARYANA

Man has probably not seen obesity for more than thousands of years. It was not until the 20th century that it became common, so much so that in 1997 the World Health Organization formally recognized obesity as a global epidemic. The current estimates by the WHO show that at least 400 million adults (9.8%) are obese, with higher rates among women than men. Obesity is increasing at an alarming rate throughout the world and India is not an exception. Though obesity is not immediate lethal disease itself, but it is a significant risk factor associated with a range of serious non-communicable diseases and condition (Tanaka and Nakanishi, 1996). Some studies have indicated that obesity may be linked with an increased risk of coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and gallstone in the later years (Raj and Kumar, 2010). Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in India in the 21st century, with morbid obesity affecting 5% of the country's population. India is following a trend of other developing countries that are steadily becoming more obese (Kelishadi and Azizi-Soleiman 2014). Unhealthy, processed food has become much more accessible following India's continued integration in global food markets. Although there are many approaches for fighting the obesity problem (Deforche et al., 2003) in kids, the use of physical activities like martial arts has not been explored through systematic research studies.