Authors: Laura Ionescu, Cristian Potora, Ovidiu Stan, Lucia Maria Lotrean
Affiliation: Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Abstract
Background. Promotion of an active lifestyle has important short-term and long-term effects on the health and well-being of children. The World Health Organization recommends a minimum of 1 hour of physical activity every day for children and adolescents.
Aims. The objective of this paper is the presentation of the activities developed in the school year 2016-2017 in order to stimulate an active lifestyle among school children with hearing deficiencies from Romania.
Methods. The activities are part of a comprehensive program for the promotion of a healthy lifestyle – nutrition, involvement in physical activity, smoking prevention – among children with hearing disabilities, which was implemented in two schools from Cluj-Napoca and Sibiu in the school year 2016-2017.
Results. The educational activities targeted both children and their parents. In order to stimulate the involvement of school children in physical activity, they participated in one lesson which presented several issues related to the importance of physical activity, types of physical activities, and examples of exercises they might perform at school or at home in order to be involved in at least one hour of physical activity every day. The lesson used a special video which was created using sign language for people with hearing deficiencies, books with cartoons for children, posters. Moreover, children were encouraged to participate in different physical activities and sport competitions developed at school and out of school. Parents were informed about the educational messages transmitted to children and the way they could help their children through the receipt of letters and newsletters and informative materials found on the web page of the program.
Conclusions. The paper presented the program and offered recommendations for future activities for active lifestyle promotion among children with hearing deficiencies from Romania.
Keywords: physical activity, children with hearing deficiencies.
English 
Română 
