Children need to move more. Here's how to help |
Why moving about is key for children's health - and happiness
Children are less physically active than they used to be. Scientists are now finding practical and effective ways to encourage children to move more. It could have lasting benefits on their health.
Globally children are less active than they used to be. That could end up having lasting effects on their health, scientists say. This inactivity comes amid rising obesity rates, with one in 10 children and adolescents living with the condition. Increased sedentary time, stress, the quality of food and lower levels of sports participation have all contributed.
The good news is that understanding what makes children less active also presents opportunities to encourage them to move more, which will benefit them now and in the future. In fact, growing evidence now suggests there are practical and effective ways to do so, boosting their physical and cognitive health in the process.
Children should have 60 minutes of physical activity per day according to recommendations. Many do not meet them.
This can have lasting effects, as physical inactivity in childhood is linked to less activity in adulthood. Children that are more physically active are also more likely to be active as adults.
One longitudinal study following 712 World War Two veterans for 50 years found that participation in sports at high school was the strongest predictor for better health outcomes at 70, as well as being more physically active in older years. Those who played sports also had fewer visits to the doctor.
Numerous studies show similar effects. Exercise in childhood is linked to better long-term health too. Those who take part in youth sports have been shown to have a lower body mass index (BMI), smaller waist circumference and better mental health as well as better educational achievements and cognitive performance.
Physical exercise benefits children in the moment too, says Nicole Logan an assistant professor of kinesiology from the University of Rhode Island in the US. "It improves body composition but also improves and maintains positive cognitive functions as children develop through adolescence," she says. "If we do more physical activity, we increase our cardiorespiratory fitness and that is good for our brain as well."
Given these benefits, there's an increasing focus among researchers on helping children and adolescents sit less and move more, according to groups like the World Health Organization (WHO).
For instance, in one nine-month after-school exercise programme, Logan and colleagues found that children with obesity had better cognitive scores than those who were not part of the intervention. The activities took place after school and included moderate to vigorous activities five days per week.
This intervention was found to reduce body fat too, which is one reason cognition improved, Logan explains. That's because fat stored around our vital organs can produce inflammation – which in turn is linked to poorer cognitive function, whilst aerobic fitness and physical........