Link between childhood obesity and exercising doors explored
12/07/2010 Outdoor play activities and exercising outdoors are known to have a number of benefits for people of all ages.
However, a new study suggests that those looking to try and combat childhood obesity should focus on the diet of kids, rather than the amount of exercise they do.
The researchers on the EarlyBird Diabetes Study, based at the Peninsula Medical School in Plymouth, said that a lack of time spent exercising outdoors is a product of obesity, rather than the cause.
Published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, the study was carried out on 200 schoolchildren over an 11-year period. It found that a seven-year-old with ten per cent more body fat than their peers will do, on average, four minutes less physical activity each day.
Professor Terry Wilkin, lead author of the study, said that the slight reduction in activity each day adds up over time.
Even if exercising outdoors does little to combat childhood obesity, it has numerous other benefits for children.
Writing for the Independent, Sue Palmer, a former head teacher and the author of Toxic Childhood, suggested last week that young children should be encouraged to take part in outdoor play activities as they help "to develop the physical control and coordination they'll need for writing".
However, a new study suggests that those looking to try and combat childhood obesity should focus on the diet of kids, rather than the amount of exercise they do.
The researchers on the EarlyBird Diabetes Study, based at the Peninsula Medical School in Plymouth, said that a lack of time spent exercising outdoors is a product of obesity, rather than the cause.
Published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, the study was carried out on 200 schoolchildren over an 11-year period. It found that a seven-year-old with ten per cent more body fat than their peers will do, on average, four minutes less physical activity each day.
Professor Terry Wilkin, lead author of the study, said that the slight reduction in activity each day adds up over time.
Even if exercising outdoors does little to combat childhood obesity, it has numerous other benefits for children.
Writing for the Independent, Sue Palmer, a former head teacher and the author of Toxic Childhood, suggested last week that young children should be encouraged to take part in outdoor play activities as they help "to develop the physical control and coordination they'll need for writing".
