New research from the Universities of Strathclyde and Newcastle
has found that 8-10 year-olds are active for only 20 minutes a day, a figure
well below the recommended hour. The study also shows that girls are less
active than boys.
Dr Mark Pearce, from Newcastle University, told the BBC he was
surprised by the low activity levels "and even more surprised that girls
were even lower".
He added: "Activity drops in teenage years and if it’s this
low at eight, there's not much further to fall."
Older fathers seemed to have less active children and, curiously,
parents who restricted television access also had less active children.
Prof John Reilly, from the University of Strathclyde, said:
"There is an urgent need for interventions, at home and at school, which will
help primary school children become more physically active."
The researchers said it was important that parents did more to get
their children into sport, but that it was also the responsibility of schools
and education authorities.
Dr Pearce said: "One of the important things is that most
girls don't see sport as cool.
"We need to be tackling these issues earlier by encouraging
girls to exercise, by providing a wider range of opportunities than are
currently on offer, and by ensuring they see positive female role models,
particularly in the media."
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