City children among least active in England

Children and young people in Sunderland are among the least active in the country, according to new research.

The Active Lives Children and Young People survey, published by Sport England, found that just under half of children aged between five and 16 in Sunderland do less than half an hour of physical activity a day on average.

An estimated 14,500 children get in less than half an hour of exercise a day, and a further 7,400 manage an average of at least half an hour a day, but less than an hour.

The Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines state that children should get at least an hour of physical activity every day of the week – but 88% of five to 16-year-olds in Sunderland fail to hit this target.

The Active Lives Children and Young People is the largest ever survey of its kind, based on responses from over 100,000 five to 16-year-olds during the academic year 2017-18.

Anything that raises your heart rate and makes you out of breath counts as physical activity – from organised team sports to playing outside.

It found that a third of children in England don’t manage an average of half an hour of activity a day, and less than 20% met the Chief Medical Officer’s target of an hour every day.

Government guidelines state that children and young people should get half their daily hour of physical activity at school, and half out of school. Clubs and sports teams that take place outside school hours count as out of school activities, even if they are school-run.

In Sunderland children were more likely to miss the target in school.

During school hours, 66% of students said they were active for less than 30 minutes a day, compared to 56% outside school.