Be it down to the allure of video games or streaming apps, or the pressures of schoolwork, adolescents around the world are shunning exercise and outdoor rough-and-tumble.
One in four teenagers admit to not getting “at least 60 minutes of physical activity on any day in the previous week”.
Overall, only 14% of the 11-17 age group worldwide reported “being active” for each day of the previous week, according to researchers at British universities and the World Health Organization (WHO).
This was based on survey data for 3.2 million children and teenagers across 140 countries.
Finnish and Canadian teens were among the most active, with around 30% in both countries reporting engaging in daily physical activity over the previous week.
British and Scandinavian adolescents were slightly above the global average with 17%, while Germans, French and Italians came in at the lower end at 13%, 11% and 9% respectively.
Warning of “stark differences between countries”, the WHO pointed out that while in some countries, only 3-4% of adolescents reported no active days, the percentage topped 40% in places.
“Physical activity during adolescence improves current and future physical and mental health and contributes to preventing non-communicable diseases,” the researchers wrote in a paper published by The Lancet medical journal.
“Physical inactivity is a major risk factor for heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers,” the WHO warned.
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The data show further disparities depending on sex and age, with 21% of British boys active for 60 minutes every day, but only 13% of girls, according to the University of Oxford.
Meanwhile, 11-year-olds were more likely to report being more active than 17-year-olds.
“We need to make being active the easy and enjoyable choice,” said study lead author and University of Edinburgh epidemiologist Dr Tessa Strain, calling for adolescents to be provided with safe routes to walk, cycle, wheel or scoot to school.
“They need green spaces to explore.
“They need opportunities to be active throughout the school day, not just in PE [physical education],” she added. – dpa
