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By Rob Goodier
(Reuters Health) – More than half of American children may not have the recommended physical activity, and doctors can help by exercising as one of the "vital signs" assessed during health checks routine, say the researchers.
"We need to start asking children and their parents regular questions about physical activity. Exercise guidelines for families should be specific, and education on what is considered "moderate to vigorous physical activity" should be included, said the lead author of a study presented on November 3 to the annual conference of the American Academy of Pediatrics in Orlando, Florida.
Julie Young, sports coach at the sports medicine division of the Nationwide Children's Hospital in Dublin, Ohio, and her colleagues examined the electronic medical records of 7,822 children aged 5 to 18 years old in the clinic. pediatric sports medicine from their hospital. They were interviewed by their doctor about their physical activity. One of the researchers' goals was to find out if children were following physical activity guidelines.
They found that 5% of the children were completely inactive, recording zero minutes of exercise per week.
Almost 50% were not active enough to comply with the guidelines, exercising less than 420 minutes per week. The remaining 45% were sufficiently active, exercising more than 420 minutes per week.
Another interview revealed that even the group doing enough physical activity was still not up to par.
Only about 12% of active children, or 5.2% of the entire study group, had the recommended 60 minutes of activity each day, while the others had longer periods of activity fewer days per day. week.
Exercising longer and fewer days puts these children at risk for burnout or repetitive injuries, the researchers said in a statement.
Other notable findings include other evidence that boys exercise more than girls. The boys in this study averaged 61 minutes more physical activity per week than girls, which allowed them to be 39% more likely to follow the recommendations.
The difference in activity level between boys and girls was mainly due to the number of days per week of physical activity among children, noted Young.
The study also shows that physical activity appears to increase with age, with the youngest reporting the least amount of physical exercise.
"While pediatricians often ask if kids are physically active, many do not specifically ask if kids adhere to the current 60-minute exercise guidelines," Young told Reuters Health in an email.
"Physical activity has many benefits," she added. "Physically active children are more likely to be active in adulthood – a lifetime (physical activity) can reduce the risk of common illnesses."
"For me, the important conclusion is that older children are more active," said Dr. William Phillips, who was not involved in the study. "This may be due to the increased availability of school-related sports programs, which may be less expensive than most private sports leagues / programs involving young children," said Phillips, pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Texas Children & Hospital of Houston. .
"Defining a child's activity level as a" vital sign "is a great way to emphasize its importance," Phillips said.
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