Children who are driven to school are no less active than pupils who walk, according to a report last week in the British Medical Journal Online. Researchers looked at the activity levels of 154 boys and 121 girls in their first year at 53 urban primary schools. The children wore monitors during waking hours for five consecutive schooldays and a weekend to measure physical activity. The researchers found the total weekly activity of those driven to school was identical to those who walk. The proportion of UK children travelling to school by car almost doubled from 16 per cent in 1986 to 30 per cent in 1998.
Children who are driven to school are no less active than pupils who walk, according to a report last week in the British Medical Journal Online.
Researchers looked at the activity levels of 154 boys and 121 girls in their first year at 53 urban primary schools. The children wore monitors during waking hours for five consecutive schooldays and a weekend to measure physical activity. The researchers found the total weekly activity of those driven to school was identical to those who walk. The proportion of UK children travelling to school by car almost doubled from 16 per cent in 1986 to 30 per cent in 1998.
