JAKARTA (Bernama-ANTARA): Indonesia’s Ministry of Health has reported that the country is experiencing a deficit in physical activity, particularly among teenagers, reported ANTARA news agency.
Findings from the Indonesia Health Survey (SKI) show that 58 per cent of adolescents aged 10 to 14 are classified as physically inactive.
Director General of Primary and Community Health, Maria Endang Sumiwi, said at the Indonesia Sports Summit 2025 in Jakarta on Sunday that the survey results indicate a widespread lack of movement among young people.
Inactivity levels were also high among other age groups: 52.8 per cent for older adults aged above 65, and 50 per cent for teenagers aged 15 to 19. She noted that the main reasons cited were lack of time and low motivation.
Maria explained that insufficient physical activity is evident even in daily routines.
Data from the Free Health Check (CKG) programme, which covered 62 million people, revealed that the most prevalent health issue among school-age children is poor fitness, affecting 60.1 per cent of respondents.
She added that inactivity is also prominent among adults.
Ninety-five per cent of adults do not exercise regularly, which is defined as 30 minutes of physical activity per day for five days a week.
The World Health Organisation recommends at least 150 minutes of exercise per week, but regular adherence remains low in Indonesia.
Although interest in sports has begun to grow in major cities, particularly with the rise of running clubs, overall public participation in physical exercise remains limited.
Maria stated that poor fitness continues to be a key issue for school-age children and teenagers.
To address this, she emphasised the need to expand sports competitions to create spaces that encourage young people to be more active.
She suggested that the presence of more competitions would help grow sports clubs, training facilities, and eventually open up job opportunities in the sports sector.
Maria also highlighted the importance of strengthening sport medicine as part of the country’s sports ecosystem, noting that the field has significant room to grow.
She concluded that increasing public engagement in sports through clubs and training venues would ultimately support better health outcomes for Indonesians. -- Bernama-ANTARA
