Children are 'less active today'

Published on 08-03-2010

Summary: Children took more exercise in the 50s, it has been confirmed.

Social studies have revealed that children spend less time exercising during the day than their counterparts did in the post-war era.

Citing computers, safety fears and school runs, the Daily Mail revealed that children today fall short of the recommended 12,000 to 15,000 daily steps.

A series of tests on 3,000 children were conducted in 1959 and compared to a sample of 80 schoolchildren from across the country by TV nanny Jo Frost.

The boys were beaten in shuttle runs, squat thrusts, skipping, broad jumps, pull-ups and the long run and, according to the results, the girls are no fitter either.

Consultant cardiologist at Spire Liverpool Hospital and the Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital Dr Dhiraj Gupta explained: "It is estimated that 160,000 British children have high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, 4,000 have type 2 diabetes and 58,000 have the pre-diabetic state of impaired glucose tolerance."

This study comes after the government's Change4Life scheme was recently extended to encompass adults as well as young families, as the drive for improved health in the UK continues.

Posted by Clara Gasper

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