Physical activities and children

Physical activity provides health benefits for children

• Physical activity throughout life provides important protection from developing coronary artery disease.
• Physically active people live longer, have better managed weight, lower blood pressure and healthier cholesterol levels.
• Physical activity is important for healthy growth and development of the cardiorespiratory system as well as bones and muscles of children.
• Physical activity has mental and social health benefits and active people are likely to feel more confident, happy, relaxed and be able to sleep better.

Physical activity provides broader community benefits

Engaging children and young people in enjoyable and positive physical activity may also make a contribution to broader social and community goals including:

• social skill development;
• improved sense of community belonging, identity and cohesion (social capital).

Early prevention is important

• Physical activity behaviour patterns are established early in life. There is some evidence that active children are more likely to become active adults.

How much physical activity is recommended?

• Children should be active every day in as many ways as they can, through play, transport and recreation.
• Additional benefits can be gained from structured moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity such as sport, physical education, dance or planned activity for three or more sessions of twenty minutes or more per week.

The challenge of growing sedentariness

Australian children are exposed to a growing range of sedentary alternatives to physical activities. These include:

• television
• videos
• computer games
• the internet
• homework and additional tutoring

All of these can compete with time for spontaneous or planned physical activity.

Physical activity data for Australian children are not systematically collected at a national level. However, the high prevalence of insufficient physical activity in adults (43%), coupled with high rates of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents aged 10–17 years (21% for boys and 23% for girls), gives rise to major concern.

A responsibility for everyone

Our children must be the focus of renewed efforts to increase population levels of physical activity, and in helping prevent the alarming rise in overweight and obesity evident in Australian adults. While parents and schools have a special role, this is a responsibility that can be shared by the entire community.