Many children are spending less than 10 minutes a day exercising. According to a new study, less than half of boys and only 11% of girls manage the recommended weekly amounts of physical activity needed to boost health and prevent obesity.
Most countries, including the UK and US, recommend that children are moderately physically active for at least an hour every day.
Published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, the study looked at the long-term health of 307 children born between 1995 and 1996.
The children’s weekly physical activity levels were measured, as were changes in weight, insulin resistance, blood fat and cholesterol levels, and blood pressure.
The study found that there was a wide range of physical activity among children, some spending as little as 10 minutes a day at the recommended intensity while others were spending over 90 minutes a day.
The results showed that only 42% of boys and 11% of girls met the 60-minute guideline.
While there was no difference in weight between those who did and did not meet the guidelines, both boys and girls who did, showed progressive improvement in their health, while those who did not showed a progressive deterioration.
Meanwhile, the study authors suggest that guidelines on how much physical activity children need to boost their health and prevent obesity be revised, as applying the same guideline to both sexes may not be appropriate.
