81 Percent Of Teenagers In The World Are Physically Inactive

The holidays are here and all the children are back home from school. Unlike in the past when children and teenagers would visit the countryside and maybe get engaged in activities, today most kids prefer remaining at the comfort of their homes, watching TV and overeat for all the times they missed the home-cooked food while at school. All chores are left to help.

If your child is one of these, who spend most of their holiday eating and having a good time sleeping, you may consider changing that and get them to engage in better activities.

The United Nations (UN) agency, the World Health Organization (WHO) found out that globally, four out of five teenagers do not exercise, which is bad for their health.

WHO conducted a survey from 2001 to 2016 in 146 countries to children between 11 and 17 years of age and released their exclusive report on 22^nd November 2019, warning of the impending risks on teens’ health should the trend continue.

From the survey, WHO established that 81 percent of the teenagers did not meet the WHO recommendation of having to exercise for at least an hour daily to boost good health and prevent illnesses such as those of the heart and conditions such as obesity.

WHO reported that in the 15-year period under review, there has not been an improvement.

The report also says that in all countries, girls were found to be less active than boys, with only 15 percent of girls exercising compared to 22 percent of boys.

Out of the 146 countries under review, girls were only found to be a bit active in four countries which are Afghanistan, Zambia, Samoa, and Tonga.

WHO said that in some countries, girls’ inactivity could be attributed to a culture where, in patriarchal communities, boys have an upper hand in engaging in physical exercises as compared to girls, who are expected to stay home and avoid activities that are considered a male.

This showed in the gender gap as according to the report, inactivity among teenage boys dropped from 80 percent to 78 percent while that of girls remained at 85 percent.

WHO officials said that considering the USA and Ireland led in the activity gap between boys and girls at 15 percent, it could only mean that most physical activities are tailored to reaching boys.

“We’re staring at an unhealthy generation if we are to continue with this trend. In order to reduce physical inactivity in adults and young people alike, we need to do more,” suggested WHO.

It was said that if the world was to meet the target of reducing inactivity between 2018 and 2030 by 15 percent, the journey will be a success if first, the adolescents are encouraged to exercise.