CGH Medical Center issued the following announcement on Oct. 23.
The National Physical Activity Plan Alliance—a coalition that includes the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Council on Exercise—has issued a report card that gives our nation's children a nearly flunking grade on physical activity.
The report card is a call-to-action to improve the physical activity levels and health of children and youth.
According to the report, just shy of one-fourth of children 6 to 17 years old get the recommended 60 minutes of exercise every day. Broken down into age groups, the number of kids reaching that goal include:
About 43 percent of 6 to 11 year olds.
Less than 8 percent of 12 to 15 year olds.
About 5 percent of 16 to 19 year olds.
Those kinds of numbers earned American youth a D-minus grade in overall physical activity for 2018. It's the same grade issued in 2014 and again in 2016.
According to the report, less than 15 percent of elementary schools require students to take physical education (PE) classes at least three days a week. The percentages fall by grade level—to only 9 percent of middle schools and 6 percent of high schools.
Those children who do take part in PE spend less than half their class time in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.
The report uses nine indicators to evaluate physical activity, as well as community and school support for it. And none of the nine indicators rose above a C grade level. But the report did note some positive findings. For example:
About 75 percent of children 6 and older live in a neighborhood with sidewalks or walking paths.
Close to 80 percent live in a neighborhood with a park or playground area.
More than half of America's school-age youth have played on a sports team in the past year.
About 65 percent of the country's school districts require elementary schools to offer recess, while 31 percent recommend it.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)—which joins the alliance in recommending children get at least an hour of exercise daily—notes that the 60 minutes of activity can be broken down into smaller chunks. Kids can be active in two 30-minute sessions or three sessions of 20 minutes each.
Parents who want to see their children increase their activity should encourage things like:
Bike riding.
Hiking.
Rollerblading.
Skateboarding.
Basketball.
Jumping rope.
Here are six ways the AAP recommends that parents help their children become more active:
1. Find a fun activity. Help your child find a sport he or she enjoys. The more your child likes it, the more likely he or she will continue doing it.
2. Provide a safe environment. Make sure your child's equipment and chosen site for the activity are safe.
3. Give your child plenty of active toys. Young children especially need easy access to balls, jump ropes and other activity toys, according to the AAP.
4. Be a role model. Children who see their parents enjoying sports and physical activity are more likely to do it themselves.
5. Turn off the TV. Limit the amount of time spent in front of screens, like TV and computers. The AAP recommends no more than one to two hours of total screen time each day.
6. Make time for exercise. Sometimes children get so overscheduled with homework, music lessons and other planned activities that they don't have time for exercise. See what can be put on hold to fit fitness on the schedule.
Original source can be found here.
Source: CGH Medical Center
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