More than half of teens in the United States don’t get enough exercise every day, contributing to the country’s budding obesity crisis, a new study finds.
Researchers from the University of Georgia, Athens, found that about 75 percent of Americans ages 14 to 18 don’t meet recommended daily exercise levels, with girls reporting less activity than their male peers.
According to the researchers, the main factors seem to be the scarcity of recreational time in schools, combined with the possible negative effects of bullying.
The United States is currently experiencing a pediatric obesity crisis, with 20 percent of children dangerously overweight and more than 200,000 suffering from diabetes, according to official figures.
Researchers found that 75% of American children don’t get enough exercise every day, with girls in particular leading more sedentary lifestyles (file photo)
“Recess length, physical facilities and social environments in schools have been found to affect physical activity among students,” Dr. Janani Thapa, a professor of health policy at Georgia who led the research, said in a statement. .
The researchers, who published their findings earlier this year in the adolescence diarygathered data from a survey of 360,000 high school students in the Peach State.
The survey included questions about exercise habits, but also about more social issues such as school connectedness, social support between peers and adults, acceptance, their environment, school safety, bullying, and a supportive environment at school.
Ninth graders, who were the youngest to participate in the survey, reported the most physical activity, and twelfth graders reported the least.
Children who felt their school was a safer, more positive and less bullying environment were also more likely to exercise.
“We don’t know much about the role of the school environment in physical activity,” Thapa said, noting that there is no research yet to show why a child who feels less safe at school is more likely to have a lifestyle sedentary.
“There must be barriers that certain groups of students faced.”
Women were also significantly less likely to live an active lifestyle than their male peers, with just over a third reporting meeting daily activity goals.
For comparison, 57 percent of the men in the survey led active lives.
“Over time, the state has seen declining levels of physical activity among all adolescents, but the rate is highest among middle and high school students,” Thapa continued.
However, the way bullying affected a child was drastically different depending on their gender.
Young girls who were bullied were more likely to lead active lives, while the opposite trend was found for teenage boys.
The researchers found that male teens who experienced bullying were less likely to exercise, while the opposite was true for girls. They hope more recess and physical education courses will help children get more exercise every day (file photo)
“For example, female students who play sports and are physically active may not fit the gender norm and therefore may be harassed,” Thapa explained.
She recommends that schools serve as a resource to help children live more active lives.
This may include more recreational time, including extended recess periods, and more physical education and fitness classes.
Sedentary lifestyles among children have been blamed for driving the rise in pediatric obesity and diabetes in the United States.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in five American children suffers from obesity.
Those who are obese are at higher risk of developing many other conditions in the future if they don’t control their weight, including multiple cancers, diabetes, heart disease, and more.
The CDC also reports that more than 200,000 American children have diabetes, a condition that can be debilitating throughout life.
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