A Unique Child: Health - Exercise - Below average
Monday, October 5, 2015
A new initiative seeks to address lack of physical fitness in children.
The British Heart Foundation, Diabetes UK and Tesco are launching activity projects around the country after their survey revealed that more than 77 per cent of children are doing no more than four hours of exercise a week outside school.
The problem of inactivity was found to be far worse among poorer families, with nine in ten children from low-income households doing even less. The survey of more than 2,000 parents also revealed:
- 85 per cent of parents didn't know how much exercise their children should be doing
- 75 per cent underestimate the amount of exercise their child needs, believing they need only about 30 minutes a day
- 26 per cent of parents believe their child is doing only a maximum of 50 minutes of activity a week in school
- over a quarter of parents say their child does no more than an hour a week, with almost one in six saying they do none at all
- parents cite cost as the biggest barrier to their children doing more exercise outside school
- over a third of parents believe the responsibility to ensure children get enough exercise lies with their children's school.
The findings mean many children are doing far less than the Public Health England recommendations that 'all children and young people (aged five to 18) should engage in moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity for at least 60 minutes and up to several hours every day'.
BEAT THE STREET
Among the first of the funded projects is Beat the Street, launching in east London. Over the next eight weeks, 30,000 families will take part in a real-life game where they will collectively walk, cycle or run the equivalent distance of going to outer space. It is hoped that challenging children to 'race to space' will encourage them to become involved in regular activity.To take part, visit www.bhf.org.uk.
