According to new research published this week in The Lancet - children need over an hour and a half of moderate intensity exercise every day to lower their risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) - NOT the hour that has been recommended in government guidelines in the UK and the US for the last 10 years.
This could be a problem - because getting kids to exercise for an hour has been proving tricky enough!
These findings are the outcome of the European Heart Study which assessed more than 1,700 aged nine and 15 for CVD risk factors blood pressure, weight and cholesterol, and monitored their levels of activity. Unsurprisingly, the research found that the lower activity levels of the child - the greater the risk of CVD.
As Dr. Ulf Ekelund, of the Medical Research Council epidemiology unit in Cambridge and one of the heads of the study stated:
“It is clear that low levels of physical activity in children is associated with risk fctors that are known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in later life.”
This is obviously having a huge impact on the health of our youth. We have blogged about child obesity a lot here at Energise and I think with good reason - the statistics are scary! For instance, statistics have recently shown that a lack of exercise coupled with poor nutrition has caused a doubling of obese children in the last 10 years and now 1-in-4 children aged 11-15 years are obese - with almost half of girls officially classified as obese or overweight. And just as a reminder - the problems of obesity are not just cosmetic and psychological, obese means being so overweight that it is dangerous.
Please let’s hope that something is going to be done about this! Could more forced physical exercise at school be the answer?
4 responses so far ↓
1 ilona :) // Jul 26, 2006 at 12:33 pm
hey Ross.
This statisticks are in England?
In polish schools children have 5 hours in wick exercise whitch is compulsory education. You almost not see overweight childrence ther. As well government is under an obligation to make playground for kids in every two buildings. When i was a child playgrounds was look like army trining place, whit tyre to jumping, crawl, and roup for climing(i think in time a war state in poland they was train us for soliders from child, and not real know how shuld look playground ). Now this is replace by small wooden houses, and swings, whitch is nice, but i know that i wuld prefer this old one- crawl, jump, clime- that was a fun, unfortunatelly i don’t see this any more. I dont have child yet, but plan to chve in 6 year from now, and for sure will be not overweight. I seen in Turkey many fat childrence ( in they culture it’s mean that you have money) They are sid in one place all day, and eat - this is very sad viuw. Hehe i was have filling to take the food and say- dont eat so much, but in a small village it is difficult- it mean to unleash wor to they parents, and whole villlage. But you have child-truth? i can imagine how wonderful father you are. it is important for children to have good parents who care about them. My father was taking us (3 children) every wickend to forest and titch about herbs, animals and our conection to nature.
Have perfect day
Ilona
2 ilona :) // Jul 26, 2006 at 3:07 pm
I was forgat to give you now link whit recipes in english
it is small, but slowly will be more 
http://crystalrecipes.blogspot.com/
3 Ross // Jul 30, 2006 at 11:41 am
Hey Ilona
I think you have made some really good points there in that this is definitely effected by both politics and culture.
In England, unfortunately, it is more common practice for government to do all of the quick fixes that give the appearance of progress rather than solving problems - or committing to solve problems that might take five-ten years (and therefore results shown after the next election).
Thankfully it sounds like Poland has set an example for the rest of us to follow.
Ross
4 Weight Loss // Jan 12, 2007 at 1:44 pm
Great article
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