England’s inactive generation

Last decade sees fall in children’s fitness

Schoolchildren in England are less fit than their counterparts 10 years ago, researchers say – and fitness levels are declining faster in the United Kingdom than in other countries. The figures come from fitness tests done by hundreds of schoolchildren from Essex.

A good level of fitness is important in order help combat the obesity crisis and to offset some of the harmful effects of being overweight. Researchers from the University of Essex asked several hundred 10-year-olds to do fitness tests, and compared the results with similar tests done in 1998. The results showed that children’s fitness levels have been falling by about 0.8 percent each year, according to the results. This is twice the rate of decline found in international studies, which have shown a drop-off of about 0.4 percent each year. The drop in fitness cannot be explained only by changes in children’s weight.

Source: The Guardian, 22 December 2009.

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