Children’s Fitness Levels on a Decline, Research Finds

Lisa Franchi November 21, 2013

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Children of today, on average, run a mile 90 seconds slower than did their parents 30 years ago. This shows that children’s fitness levels may be declining, according to the study presented at the American Heart Association’s annual meeting.

Researchers from the University of South Australia looked at the fitness levels of more than 25 million children in 28 countries. Their findings revealed that across nations, children’s cardiovascular endurance, which is measured by how far children can run in a set time, has dwindled consistently by about 5 per cent every decade. The problem was largely observed in the Western countries, but is also observed in some parts of Asia like the South Korea, mainland China and Hong Kong.

Dr Grant Tomkinson, the lead researcher from the University of South Australia’s School of Health Sciences, said children should be inspired to do more vigorous exercise. Otherwise, public health consequences could be dire.

"If a young person is generally unfit now, then they are more likely to develop conditions like heart disease later in life," He said to stay healthy, children and young people should do at least an hour of physical activity, such as walking or cycling to school and running in the playground, every day. Physical activities can be broken down into small sessions, rather just one.

Type of exercise important

"The type of exercise is really important." said Prof Michael Gwitz of the American Heart Association. Dr Gwitz added that exercise must be something that makes a person sweat, and is sustained and dynamic to promote cardiovascular fitness. Simply going to the gym or signing up for a sport activity in school may not be enough, the professor added, unless the child is really moving around a lot.

"It’s well established that being physically inactive in childhood can have serious health implications later in life.” explained Christopher Allen of the British Heart Foundation. He said by encouraging children to get active, adults can protect their heart as they grow up.

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Many children ’slower runners than their parents were’