National Obesity Awareness Week

Fewer than one in five young people meet the recommended 60 active minutes every day, most recent statistics show. But how well known is it that this is the amount of exercise children should be getting every day?

On National Obesity Awareness Week, Chris Wright blogs about the importance of sport, physical activity and PE in supporting a healthier generation.

As the NHS recently revealed its Long-Term Plan to address the needs of an ageing population and ensure it is fit for the future, it was frustrating to see there was little mention of the need to address inactivity as one of the biggest causes of future ill-health. It saddens me that we are increasingly hearing stories of young people undergoing hip replacements, children as young as 8 contracting type 2 diabetes and young people at breaking point with mental health struggles yet we are not addressing the fundamentals of improving positive lifestyle choices. We are seeing cuts to PE time on the curriculum, school reducing active play and sport during and after school, parents restricting children’s movement from a very young age and increasing access to screen media as the activity of choice.

https://www.youthsporttrust.org/why-we-need-take-60-minutes-every-day-get-children-active?utm_campaign=10196334_Secondary%20Cluster%20-%20National%20Obesity%20Week%20-%20Jan%202019&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Youth%20Sport%20Trust&dm_i=1ZLF,62JJI,UTSKE6,NTRT4,1