Children and Exercise Research

British children are thought to lead hectic lives and to treat exercise as a low priority. This is according to the findings of a new MORI survey commissioned by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) looking at 7 to 16 year-olds' attitudes towards physical activity.

This latest survey shows that an increase in the pace of life is impacting badly on the health of young people. One in six say that a lack of time stops them from being more active. These time constraints are much more prevalent in the older age groups, with two fifths (43%) of 14 to 16 year-olds claiming lack of time to be an issue.

Academic success also emerges as a big pressure. Almost half (49%) of kids say they feel it is more important to study than to do physical activity. Parental encouragement is also a factor, with almost a fifth (18%) agreeing that their parents do not encourage them to exercise. This proportion rises to 26% in low-income socio-economic groups.

Encouragingly though, the survey revealed that young people recognise the benefits of being healthy and active. Over a third (39%) of youngsters admit physical activity makes them feel better about themselves and a further 39% say it makes them feel healthier. 59% make the connection that being active is good for the heart and two thirds (66%) of children say that they believe physical activity can help them make friends.

The young people interviewed for the survey did profess a huge range of interests, including many with some level of physical activity. Only one in twelve said that they do not generally do any kind of physical activity. Over a third (36%) play actively during break times at school and popular activities in their spare time included playing outside, cycling and football. Along with active play, kids also enjoy watching TV and videos (21%), playing card and computer games (15%) and going shopping (11%).

According to Prof Stuart Biddle, from the BHF's National Centre for Physical Activity and Health at Loughborough University, "We can't just assume that kids are spending all of their free time slumped in front of the TV. Many of the social activities enjoyed by children and teenagers today are sedentary, for example, computer games, chatting on the phone or music practice. Yet that doesn't mean that young people are fundamentally lazy or inactive. What we need to find out now is how to encourage children to bring physical activity back into their busy lifestyles. Some have been shown to watch plenty of TV, or spend many hours on a computer, but have also found time to be active - so it is possible."

Eoin Redahan, director of Public Relations at The Stroke Association, added "We believe that by increasing awareness of the benefits of physical activity people of all ages will exercise more and the number of strokes will decrease. At the moment we're worried that the number of strokes and heart attacks is on the increase and that children are becoming time-bombs for both of these killer diseases."

The survey was conducted by MORI on behalf of the British Heart Foundation. The questions were asked of a nationally representative sample (413) of 7 to 16 year olds throughout Great Britain via a children's telephone omnibus. Interviews were carried out between 31st August and 7th September 2001.

All articles 2006-22 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.

• Ipsos MORI
• All news
• MrWeb info