Half of seven-year-olds are not getting the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity, according to a new report by leading fitness experts.
Produced by ukactive, the UK’s leading not-for-profit health body for the physical activity sector, the report shows that the chief medical officer’s guidance is not being followed and that primary schools are not recording physical activity of pupils properly.
Describing physical inactivity as pandemic, the report raises concerns about the knock-on effect it will have on the already struggling NHS in the future and said it was a ticking time-bomb.
Responding to the report, Prof Russell Viner, officer for health promotion of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said: “At a time where children should be at their most active, it’s concerning that half of seven-year-olds are not doing the recommended one hour of physical activity that’s advised each day.”
Previous research has shown that physical inactivity is responsible for more deaths than obesity or even smoking in England. It is also estimated to cost public services and the wider economy around £20bn per year. An inactive person spends 37% more days in hospital and visits the doctor 5.5% more often than an active individual.
“We already know that a healthy child is much more likely to go on to be a healthy adult, so it is important that we set children on the right trajectory from an early age and continue to encourage healthy lifestyles as they move through life,” Viner said. “That means instilling positive behaviour early.”
Ukactive concluded that schools should test physical activity in the same way it does subjects like maths and English. Tanni Grey-Thompson, the Paralympian and chair of the board of ukactive, said: “The basis for this report stems from a fundamental belief that if we are to improve something we must first be able to understand it, and to measure the outcomes.”
“Just 10% of schools take an indirect measurement of children’s cardiorespiratory fitness levels, while only 1% of schools surveyed said that they take a direct measurement of children’s fitness,” she said.
“These findings paint a stark image around the current level of knowledge and understanding around the physical activity abilities of young people that would simply not be acceptable to other areas of the curriculum such as maths, science or English.”
Kevin Courtney, deputy general secretary of the NUT, the largest teachers’ union said: “This report’s concern about fitness is well founded and deserves a proper strategy to deal with it. Such a strategy needs to look at schools, home life and communities.
“But the headline policy of adding another ‘test’ is wrong-headed. The plethora of tests children face now is part of the problem. Adding another one won’t be part of the solution.”
Currently primary schools are failing to properly track and record physical activity and fitness. The report uses data released to ukactive by freedom of information requests, which show that just 43% of schools recorded the length of time children actually spent being physically active.
Lady Grey-Thompson said: “It is only through measurement that we can begin to plot positive progress and demonstrate the programmes and initiatives which have the strongest impact and can be scaled and replicated.”
Ukactive believe a “whole-day approach” is necessary and that integrating physical activity throughout the school day, including looking at how children get to school, would help ensure they achieve the 60 minutes of daily exercise recommended by the CMO.
Grey-Thompson added: “The current national ambition focused solely around PE lessons is simply not bold enough. We should aim higher and demand more.”
