Most teenagers around the world are not moving enough, and it is not getting better, according to a new study reported by NPR.
The World Health Organization recommends adolescents get at least an hour a day of moderate-to-vigorous activity, the kind that makes you break a sweat.
The study in The Lancet Global Health drew on surveys of more than 3 million adolescents in 140 countries over 15 years. Only about 14% said they got an hour of exercise every day, and the average teen reported fewer than three such days a week.
One in four said they did not reach 60 minutes on any day of the week.
“The findings are disappointing, because one of the major results is that the trend over the last 15 years is flat,” said Fiona Bull, head of the WHO’s physical activity unit and a co-author.
Girls were less active than boys in nearly every country. About 30% of girls reported no active days, compared with 22% of boys, and just 11% of girls were active daily compared with 17% of boys.
Researchers pointed to unsafe or unwalkable neighborhoods, screens and cultural norms as factors. Teens in low- and middle-income countries tended to be less active.
Habits formed in the teen years tend to carry into adulthood, said Emory University researcher Solveig Cunningham.
Sources: NPR. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: FredBren / Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
