UK kids fitness levels drop due to lack of outdoor play activities
22/12/2009 A lack of outdoor activity means that the fitness level of British youngsters is dropping faster than that for children in the rest of the world.
The finding of a study by researchers at the University of Essex, which was published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood journal, revealed that children’s fitness levels in the UK had dropped eight per cent in the past decade, which is double the world average.
Dr Gavin Sandercock, from the Centre for Sports and Exercise Science at the University of Essex, said that the prevalence of modern technology in British homes and a reduction in outdoor activities was contributing to the drop in fitness levels.
He said: "Children are not doing as much physical activities as before. They are using their spare time to play more computer games, more time watching TV, or more time online. They don't climb trees anymore; they don't use their bikes anymore."
The study was carried out in the Chelmsford area of Essex. In 1998 just over 300 ten year olds were weighed and took part in a running test to assess their level of fitness. Around the same number of children undertook the same tests a decade later to establish a comparison.
The finding of a study by researchers at the University of Essex, which was published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood journal, revealed that children’s fitness levels in the UK had dropped eight per cent in the past decade, which is double the world average.
Dr Gavin Sandercock, from the Centre for Sports and Exercise Science at the University of Essex, said that the prevalence of modern technology in British homes and a reduction in outdoor activities was contributing to the drop in fitness levels.
He said: "Children are not doing as much physical activities as before. They are using their spare time to play more computer games, more time watching TV, or more time online. They don't climb trees anymore; they don't use their bikes anymore."
The study was carried out in the Chelmsford area of Essex. In 1998 just over 300 ten year olds were weighed and took part in a running test to assess their level of fitness. Around the same number of children undertook the same tests a decade later to establish a comparison.
