Children in Beijing the least active

Cushy life: A child being ferried in a tricycle in Beijing. Lack of exercise is taking a toll on the health of children in the city. — AFP

BEIJING: A recent report finds that children in Beijing are the most sedentary nationwide, while kids in Southwest China’s Chongqing are the most active in walking.

Children in Chongqing kept track of more than 6,000 walking steps a day on average, the highest number among all Chinese cities, while Beijing, the capital city in North China, came in at the bottom of the list, with its children’s daily steps as low as 3,500, according to chinanews.com, citing a report released by 360 Kids Guard, a smart watch brand for kids in China.

Chongqing was followed by Shenzhen, Guangdong province, with 5,900 steps, and Chengdu, Sichuan province, with 4,900.

Shanghai is close to Beijing on the lack-of-physical-activity ranking, its kids keeping a daily track of 3,540 steps. Suzhou in Jiangsu province came in at third lowest, with 3,580 steps.

Lack of exercise increases children’s health risks and can jeopardize their well-being throughout their lives.

Physical activity is also crucial to their cognitive development and academic success.

Experts said environmental influences are associated with physical activity among children in different cities.

“The number of steps for Chongqing children almost doubled that of Beijing kids, partly because of the capital’s inconvenient traffic and smoggy air,” said Pei Zhiyong, an expert on teenagers network security education.

The brand 360 Kids Guard reportedly sold more than 1.8 million smart watches across China in 2016. — China Daily/Asia News Network