27th November 2019 15:08
By Blue Tutors
A study by Bristol University has found that children become significantly less active over the course of their time at primary school. Reported on the BBC, it was found that on average children are nearly an hour a a half less active per week at the age of 11 than they were aged 6, raising concerns about obesity and related diseases in later life.
The survey was conducted around the Bristol area so doesn’t take all ethnic and social groups into account, but it included more than 2,000 students across 57 schools. Each student was fitted with a device to monitor how often they took part in “Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity”, MVPA, which is enough to leave someone breathless and sweaty.
The results showed that, in year 1, 61% of children do at least an hour of MVPA per day, the amount recommended by UK medical officers, but this drops to 41% 5 years later. Focussing on just girls, the drop was 54% to 28%, faster than for boys, and boys are more active throughout primary school.
Professor Russel Jago, the lead author of the report, said that more needs to be done to maintain activity levels as our children grow. This doesn’t necessarily mean exercising more, but engaging children in MVPA when younger makes them more active as they grow.
A spokesperson from the British Heart Foundation said that more than one in three students at primary school weigh more than is recommended and a quarter do not engage in enough exercise. Obese children are more likely to become obese adults, and families need to consider both children’s activity and also their diet.