Child Fitness Levels Lower in Affluent Areas

Wed, 23 Dec 2009
New research which compares fitness levels of children today and 10 years ago in an area with low levels of obesity has uncovered that the average 10-year-old in 1998 could outrun 95 per cent of youngsters in 2008.

Essex University staged fitness tests for 600 10-year-olds a decade apart in Chelmsford, an affluent town with low levels of obesity, to highlight that a normal weight does not necessarily equate to a good fitness level.

In 1998, they undertook 20m shuttle-run tests, known comonly as the bleep test on 303 children from six schools. These tests were replicated on a similar number of 10-year-olds, reported the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

Obesity levels have remained more or less the same, however, there has been a significant shift in fitness which was of concern.

Worse levels of fitness would be expected in less affluent areas.

Physical activity is just as important as eating a healthy balanced diet in relation to preventing obesity and the oneset of Type 2 diabetes .

It is crucial that children undertake 60 minutes of physical activity every day.

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