Three Quarters of US Children Not Meeting Physical Activity Guidelines

17 Nov 2016 --- Three-quarters of children in the United States are currently not meeting physical activity recommendations, putting them at increased risk for future obesity, diabetes, and related chronic illness, according to the new US Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth.

The report was authored by researchers from LSU's Pennington Biomedical Research Center and concerned health experts from across the US, assembled by the National Physical Activity Plan Alliance.

The report shows only 21.6 percent of children ages 6-19 meet U.S. physical activity guidelines, and that nearly 63 percent of children are exceeding sedentary behavior guidelines, which suggest no more than two hours of screen time per day.

Furthermore, less than 13 percent of children walk or ride their bike to school, a habit that has been associated with lower odds of obesity among children.

Positively, the report does show an improvement in the number of youth who are participating on at least one sports team, with half of America's children participating in team sports since the 1970s. However, these statistics show a significant gender disparity with more boys participating than girls.

“We hope the information in this Report Card will be useful to health professionals, community organizations and policy makers as they strive to respond by developing and implementing strategies that improve access to physical activity opportunities for kids,” says Dr. Peter Katzmarzyk, associate executive director of population science at Pennington Biomedical and committee chair on the report.

“The results of this new Report Card demonstrate that we have much to do to ensure that our children become active, fit and healthy adults,” Katzmarzyk  continues, adding, “The National Physical Activity Plan lays out a strategy for increasing the physical activity level of all segments of our population, children and youth included.”

There is a strong consensus among health professionals that physical activity plays a major role in promoting children's health. The World Health Organization and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommend that children and youth engage in a minimum of 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily, including vigorous-intensity activity at least three days per week.

“We call on parents, school personnel and community leaders to review the Plan and make the changes that will enable many more of our young people to meet national physical activity guidelines,” stresses Dr. Russell Pate, chairman of the National Physical Activity Plan Alliance Board of Directors.