Physical inactivity in children reaches crisis levels around the world

The report of the Global Active Healthy Kids Alliance (AHKGA) compared 49 countries from six continents to assess global trends in physical activity among children in developed and developing countries, which led to when comparing notes between "Global Matrix 3.0".

The report found that modern lifestyles – increased screen time, increasing urbanization of communities, and increasing automation of previously manual tasks – contribute to an omnipresent public health problem that needs to be recognized as a global priority.

"Global trends, including excessive screen time, contribute to a generation of inactive children and put them on a dangerous path," said Professor Mark Tremblay, president of the AHKGA, Senior Researcher at the CHEO Research Institute in Canada and Professor at the University. d & # 39; Ottawa. "We have a collective responsibility to change this because inactive children are exposed to physical, mental, social and cognitive health problems, and this generation will face many challenges, including the impacts of climate change, increasing globalization and the consequences of rapid technological change: they will have to become physically active to become healthy and resilient adults, able to survive and thrive in a changing world. "

The AHKGA international comparison involved 517 experts who produced scorecards from 49 countries scoring 10 common indicators related to physical activity of children and youth. The resulting report examines global trends and highlights the effects of our changing world on children's physical activity levels. The increasing time spent in front of the screen and the increasing resort to technology take a crucial time that it would be better to devote to a wide range of physical activities. and the increased use of motorized transportation is changing the levels of physical activity globally.

"Pushing back these lifestyle changes requires social engineering, not just construction engineering, and challenges vary depending on the stage of development of each country," said Dr. Tremblay. "Many facets of society will need to work together to change behaviors to preserve and promote the right of our children to play and be active, and we hope this report will be a call for action. action for companies around the world. "

Learn from each other

The countries where children and youth are most active as a whole, including Slovenia, Zimbabwe and Japan, each have a very different approach to getting children moving, but what is consistent is that Physical activity is governed by ubiquitous cultural norms. Being active is not just a choice, but a way of life.

* Slovenia achieved the highest scores for overall physical activity (A-), family and peers (B +) and government (A), as well as an overall average score of B.

A remarkable feature of Slovenia is the importance of sport to the culture of this almost 30-year-old country: "Slovenes tend to view sport as an effective tool for strengthening citizens' national identities and asserting their claims global identity ".

* Zimbabwe reports above-average scores on overall physical activity (C +) and sedentary behavior (B).

Overall physical activity is mainly affected by active transportation which, for the majority of children in Zimbabwe, is a necessity in everyday life.

* Japan had the highest ratings for active transportation (A-) and fitness (A), and had no lower scores than C-.

Japan has established a very established "walk-in-school practice" that has been applied since the implementation decree of the School Education Act promulgated in 1953. It states that public elementary schools must be located at 4 km maximum. For public colleges, no more than 6 km from the student's home.

"We can learn a lot from each other to improve our grades in the world," said Professor Peter Katzmarzyk, AHKGA's Vice President and Associate Executive Director for Health Sciences of Population and Health at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. "Physical inactivity is a global concern that can no longer be ignored.For the sake of the health and future of our children, we need to incorporate physical activity into all societies and change social norms to move children. "

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