The American Heart Association, whose conference featured the research yesterday, says it’s the first to show that children’s fitness has declined worldwide over the last three decades.
“It makes sense. We have kids that are less active than before,†said Dr. Stephen Daniels, a University of Colorado pediatrician and spokesman for the heart association.
Health experts recommend that children 6 and older get 60 minutes of moderately vigorous activity accumulated over a day. Only one-third of American kids do now.
“Kids aren’t getting enough opportunities to build up that activity over the course of the day,†Daniels said. “Many schools, for economic reasons, don’t have any physical education at all. Some rely on recess†to provide exercise.
Sam Kass, a White House chef and head of first lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move program, stressed the role of schools in a speech to the conference Monday.
“We are currently facing the most sedentary generation of children in our history,†Kass said.
“It makes sense. We have kids that are less active than before,†said Dr. Stephen Daniels, a University of Colorado pediatrician and spokesman for the heart association.
Health experts recommend that children 6 and older get 60 minutes of moderately vigorous activity accumulated over a day. Only one-third of American kids do now.
“Kids aren’t getting enough opportunities to build up that activity over the course of the day,†Daniels said. “Many schools, for economic reasons, don’t have any physical education at all. Some rely on recess†to provide exercise.
Sam Kass, a White House chef and head of first lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move program, stressed the role of schools in a speech to the conference Monday.
“We are currently facing the most sedentary generation of children in our history,†Kass said.
Besides a diet that isn't good, I think the other problem is that kids are doing stuff such as video games instead of playing outside. When I was a kid, kids played from the moment they got up till night. Some stayed out after night. We played video games, but I don't think it was anywhere near as much. We rode bikes, raced, jumped on trampolines, raced, and chased each other. I think this has a lot to do with things.
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