A University of Bristol study found that by summer last year just 41 per cent of 10- and 11-year-olds surveyed were meeting the national physical activity guidelines of an hour on average of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily.
This is an improvement on the immediate time after the pandemic when just over a third (37 per cent) were meeting the target.
The same research also shows that children are more sedentary during the week since lockdown restrictions lifted, spending an extra 13 minutes a day on average being inactive.
Lead author Russ Jago, professor of physical activity and public health, said, ‘It’s encouraging that on average children’s physical activity levels are back to where they were before the pandemic.
‘But it’s taken nearly a year since the last public lockdown was lifted, and children’s increased sedentary time during the week has persisted, which is an area of concern for policy makers, schools, and parents.’
The study, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, measured physical activity levels of 393 children aged 10- to 11-years-old between June and December 2021, and a further 436 children of the same age between January and July last year.
Children and a parent or carer wore an accelerometer to measure their physical activity and answered a questionnaire. Participants came from 28 schools in the Bristol area. This information was compared with data from nearly 1,300 children and their parents from 50 schools in the same area before the pandemic.
On average, parents were found to take part in eight minutes more moderate to vigorous physical activity at weekends than before the pandemic.
Co-author Dr Ruth Salway, senior research associate in epidemiology and statistics, said, ‘The findings suggest physical activity is susceptible to disruptions in provision and leisure opportunities, and highlight that still not enough 10 to 11-year- olds meet the guidelines. On the flipside, it’s great to see how the pandemic may have encouraged parents to be more active and it looks like these habits may be continuing.’
- ‘Short and medium-term effects of the COVID-19 lockdowns on child and parent accelerometer-measured physical activity and sedentary time: a natural experiment’ is published in the International Journal of Behavioural Nutrition & Physical Activity by R. Jago et al.
What do the UK chief medical officers recommend?
Physical activity guidelines: (birth to five years)
Children from one- to five years should aim for at least 180 minutes per day, and under-ones at least 30 minutes across the day. For infants not yet mobile this includes 30 minutes of ‘tummy time’.
Toddlers (1-2 years):
Toddlers should spend at least 180 minutes (3 hours) per day in a variety of physical activities at any intensity, including active and outdoor play, spread throughout the day; more is better.
Pre-schoolers (3-4 years):
Pre-schoolers should spend at least 180 minutes (3 hours) per day in a variety of physical activities spread throughout the day, including active and outdoor play. More is better; the 180 minutes should include at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity.
Physical activity guidelines: children and young people (5-18 years)
Children and young people should engage in:
- moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity for an average of at least 60 minutes per day across the week. This can include all forms of activity such as physical education, active travel, after-school activities, play and sports.
- a variety of types and intensities of physical activity across the week to develop movement skills, muscular fitness, and bone strength.
- aim to minimise the amount of time spent being sedentary, and when physically possible should break up long periods of not moving with at least light physical activity.
More information
Physical activity guidelines, including infographics recommending different types of activity for each age group, are available here
