Parents jeopardising children's futures by lack of fitness

Parents are jeopardising their children’s future health by not encouraging them to get enough exercise.

In a survey, 57 per cent of parents of primary school age children  thought their children needed less exercise than they do, but 31 per cent of those parents thought the recommended amount of exercise for children in this age group was only 30 minutes a day. Only 21 per cent of parents knew the correct amount was 60 minutes a day, five times a week.

In a stark contrast, on average, children age six to eleven spend 13.6 hours each week on less active activities such as playing video games, watching television and surfing the net.

In light if this revelation, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) and the British Dietetic Association (BDA) are joining forces to launch a joint campaign ‘Move for Health Kids’ to get children moving more to prevent obesity and help improve their health both at home and at school.

A new leaflet by both the CSP and the BDA ‘Fit for the Future’ urges parents to make a healthy lifestyle for their family a priority, this includes increasing the amount of physical activity each day.

Visit www.csp.org.uk/moveforhealth for free ‘Move for Health’ advice and leaflets.