Half of six-year-olds get too little exercise
SIX-YEAR-OLDS are spending too much of the day sitting around and too little time being active, researchers warn.
They found that nearly half of British children that age do not exercise enough – with girls faring worse than boys.
experts say those aged five to 18 should get at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity a day, to benefit their physical and mental health.
But researchers from Cambridge University and Southampton University found that 47 per cent of six-year-olds miss the recommended target, fuelling fears that their wellbeing and even academic performance could be affected.
While 63 per cent of boys hit the current UK guidelines, only 42 per cent of girls did.
For the study, 712 six-year-olds wore trackers continuously for six days to measure their heart rate and movement.
on average, they were sedentary for five hours a day, did 7.5 hours of low-level physical activity and 65 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise. Girls engaged in less strenuous activity during the school day, according to the analysis published in the Journal of Physical activity and Health.
This could be because girls wear skirts that may make physical activity more challenging, or that they choose less active options during break times, the researchers said.
The study found that the children were sitting for around 30 minutes more each day aged six compared with when they were four but did a little more strenuous activity.
dr Kathryn Hesketh, from the Medical research Council epidemiology Unit at Cambridge, said: ‘Children appear to do more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity when they start formal schooling, which is really positive, but they also spend more time sedentary.
‘This may in part be because of the structure of the school day.’
Professor Keith Godfrey, from the Southampton University, said: ‘These analyses indicate that new initiatives to promote physical activity must consider the lower activity levels in girls and at weekends.
‘The time when children transition into formal schooling is an important opportunity.’