Children 'must be encouraged to exercise outdoors'
27/01/2010 Children who are encouraged to take part in exercise and outdoor play activities often have higher levels of physical fitness, according to a new study.
It had previously been thought that the level of physical activity a child takes part in is in direct relation to the amount of exercise their parents do.
However, the study, by researchers at Oregon State University, found that parents who believe their kids were athletic and encouraged them to take part in sports had children that were more likely to regularly exercise.
Stewart Trost, one of the researchers, said: "Active parents may be more likely to have active children because they encourage that behaviour through the use of support systems and opportunities for physical activity, but there is no statistical evidence that a child is active simply because they see that their parents exercise."
He added that all children need is encouragement to take part in exercise and outdoor play activities.
The study, published in the journal Preventative Medicine, was carried out on 268 children between the ages of two and five in Queensland, Australia.
In the UK, research by the University of Essex has shown that a lack of outdoor activity is contributing to decreasing levels of fitness among British children, which fell by double the world average in the past decade.
It had previously been thought that the level of physical activity a child takes part in is in direct relation to the amount of exercise their parents do.
However, the study, by researchers at Oregon State University, found that parents who believe their kids were athletic and encouraged them to take part in sports had children that were more likely to regularly exercise.
Stewart Trost, one of the researchers, said: "Active parents may be more likely to have active children because they encourage that behaviour through the use of support systems and opportunities for physical activity, but there is no statistical evidence that a child is active simply because they see that their parents exercise."
He added that all children need is encouragement to take part in exercise and outdoor play activities.
The study, published in the journal Preventative Medicine, was carried out on 268 children between the ages of two and five in Queensland, Australia.
In the UK, research by the University of Essex has shown that a lack of outdoor activity is contributing to decreasing levels of fitness among British children, which fell by double the world average in the past decade.
