Facts on Kid’s Health
|
1.
|
The average child gets less than 15 minutes of vigorous activity a day. |
|
2.
|
The average U.S. child gets approximately 43 minutes of moderate physical activity a day. |
|
3.
|
The average U.S. child spends 20% of his/her waking time watching TV. |
|
4.
|
Obesity and superobesity are up 36% and 98%, respectively, in the past 20 years. |
|
5.
|
The average child consumes at least 20 ounces of soda pop a day. |
|
6.
|
The child of today is less fit and more fat than the child of the 60’s. |
|
7.
|
Thirty-six percent of the children get daily physical education; 36% get two or fewer days. |
|
8.
|
Nine out of ten parents think their children are fit, when only one out of three are. |
|
9.
|
At age 10, 45% of young people say they participate, or intend to participate, on a non-school team. Among 18-year-olds, the figure is 26%. |
|
10.
|
Thirty percent of youths (10-19 years) have negative or neutral attitudes towards physical activity. |
|
11.
|
In a typical physical education class, only 27% of actual physical education time is devoted to motor activity. |
|
12.
|
The average heart rates in a typical 30-minute physical education class range between 90 and 129 beats per minute. |
|
13.
|
The older girls get, the less likely they are to work out. |
|
14.
|
Grade school students are 24% more active than high schoolers. |
|
15.
|
Asian and Hispanic girls are notably less active than girls of other backgrounds, including African-Americans, Whites and girls of mixed heritage. |
|
16.
|
Children exercise less as they get older, boys about 3% less each year; girls, 7.5%. |
|
17.
|
The most popular physical education offerings for grades 7-9: |
| Boys | Girls |
| 1)basketball | 1)basketball |
| 2)calisthenics/exercise | 2)calisthenics/exercise |
| 3)baseball | 3)volleyball |
| 4)football | 4)jogging |
| 5)jogging | 5)baseball/softball |
|
18.
|
The two biggest reasons kids participate in sport and exercise are fun and socialization. |
|
19.
|
About 42% of middle school students consider themselves more fit than their peers. Sixteen percent rate themselves as not as good. |
|
20.
|
Thirty-six percent of middle school students say that they think that kids who exercise do better in school, about one-third are not sure, and 28% disagree. |
|
21.
|
Fifty-four percent of students claim that their physical education class is very important to them. |
|
22.
|
About 50% of all students report that physical education class time should be increased in the middle school.
COMMENTS: As parents, we need to insist the physical health of our children is being addressed at school. Their mental and emotional health is directly related to the activity or lack of it that they get. We’ve got to get children moving and actively restoring their health with meaningful exercise. |
Recent Comments