A study, conducted in the United States on a sample of over 10,000 people, revealed that physical activity levels of young people are comparable to those of 60-year-olds.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day for children and adolescents aged 5 to 17 years.
Because the best times for physical activity were in the afternoon between 14.00 and 18.00, it might be useful to change the pupils' school curriculum.
Young people have become more sedentary and addicted to technology to the detriment of physical activity.
Among the main reasons why young people do not participate in physical activities, are:
- families spend a lot of time watching television;
- young people prefer to play video games in their free time;
- more and more people use personal cars and public transport instead of bicycles or walking;
- extracurricular activities are too expensive or there is not enough time in the day to achieve a healthy lifestyle.
