Children not taking enough exercise

Young people do not participate in enough physical activity to be healthy, research has revealed.

A survey of 1,083 youngsters aged seven to 18 said 89% of those polled spend far less time engaged in physical activity than is recommended by the Department of Health.

Taken as a representative sample for the whole of the country, this means eight million young people are not getting enough exercise, said KidsOutdoors a campaign led by The Scout Association.

The survey also found that 7% of the sample, which would equal more than 600,000 young people if extrapolated nationally, also spend no time at all participating in outdoor physical activities which are not arranged by school.

Department of Health guidelines state that children, even those of a healthy weight, should aim to be active for at least one hour a day.

With the bank holiday weekend approaching KidOutdoors said it would like to see more youngsters taking part in outdoor events such as the Notting Hill Carnival, Brighton Festival and a bog snorkelling competition in Llanwrtyd Wells.

Peter Duncan, Chief Scout, said: "It's great that there are so many events happening this weekend and that people are going to be having these adventures. The KidsOutdoors campaign would like to see more people outside experiencing adventure throughout the year, not just on public holidays.

"As families are forced to tighten their spending, more people are looking to their local communities for outdoor activities and with a large variety of activities on it's easier than ever for everyone to get outdoors and get active.

"Outdoor adventure and activities have numerous benefits - including helping to tackle obesity and providing opportunities for young people from all walks of life to enjoy new experiences."

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