Concern over lazy teenagers
A first-ever global report looking at physical activity trends among 11 to 17 year olds has found 89 per cent of young Kiwis are not active enough.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends at least one hour of physical activity a day for teenagers, but the large majority do not reach this target – putting their health at risk.
The study was based on data collected through school-based surveys on physical activity levels of 1.6 million students across 146 countries. The assessment included active play, recreation and sports, active domestic chores, active transportation and planned exercise.
Australia was one of the worst performers, ranking 140, with New Zealand faring only slightly better at 138.
South Korean youngsters were the least active, at 94 per cent. Bangladesh ranked top, although 66 per cent of its teens were not active enough.
The study, produced by researchers from the WHO, Imperial College London, and the University of Western Australia, found more than 80 per cent of school-going adolescents globally did not meet the one-hour activity target.
In both New Zealand and Australia, the lack of recommended physical activity among teens has worsened since 2001.
In 2001, 87.2 per cent of Kiwi adolescents were not sufficiently active, compared to 88.7 per cent in 2016. In Australia, the percentage increased from 87 per cent in 2001 to 89 per cent in 2016.
The study found the ‘‘electronic revolution’’ had transformed movement patterns by progressively isolating people indoors. They sleep less, sit more, walk less, drive more, and generally do less physical activity than they used to. Children were more focused on digital play, spending more time indoors than outdoors, it found.
‘‘Urgent policy action to increase physical activity is needed now,’’ said study author Dr Regina Guthold, of the WHO.