Children less fit than their parents

Date: Nov-20-2013Around the world, many children do not run as far or as fast as their parents did when

they were kids, according to a large study presented at a scientific meeting in the US

recently.

The study concludes that today's kids are about 15% less aerobically fit than their parents were

at their age.

And in the US, kids' cardiovascular endurance has fallen by around 6% per decade

between 1970 and 2000.

The researchers warn that such a decline in fitness may mean worse health in adulthood.

Lead author Dr. Grant Tomkinson of the University of South Australia's School of Health

Sciences, who presented the findings at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2013

in Dallas, TX, says:

If a young person is generally unfit now, then they are more likely to develop conditions like

heart disease later in life."

Cardiovascular fitness not same as strength, flexibility or skill

Dr. Tomkinson says while there are many ways that young people can be fit, like developing

strength by lifting weights, being flexible like a gymnast or being skilled at tennis, this is

not the same as having cardiovascular fitness, which is what most relates to health, as he

explains:

"The most important type of fitness for good health is cardiovascular fitness, which is the

ability to exercise vigorously for a long time, like running multiple laps around an oval

track."

Researchers analzyed kids' running fitness over 46 years

After analyzing kids' fitness for 46 years, researchers found their cardiovascular endurance has decreased by 5% every decade.
Image credit: American Heart Association

He and his colleagues analyzed 50 studies on running fitness conducted between 1964 and 2010 in 28 countries that altogether covered over 25 million kids aged between 9 and 17.

They used how far kids ran in a set time or how long it took to run a set distance as the

measure of cardiovascular endurance.

Across the studies, typical running tests lasted either 5 to 15 minutes, or covered between 0.5 and 2 miles (0.8 to 3.2 km).

The analysis found that kids' cardiovascular endurance has fallen significantly over the 46

years it covered - across nations it has declined consistently by about 5% every decade.

There were few differences between boys and girls, older and younger children, or among

regions, although there were variations from country to country.

Fall in fitness parallels rises in obesity, body fat

Dr. Tomkinson suggests social, behavioral, physical, psychosocial and physiological factors lie

behind the fall in kids' cardiovascular fitness.

The team also found when they looked at the figures country by country, the fall in fitness

paralleled rising levels of obesity and body fat, suggesting one may be causing the other.

Dr. Tomkinson says:

"In fact, about 30% to 60% of the declines in endurance running performance can be

explained by increases in fat mass."

To develop cardiovascular fitness, he says kids should be exercising at least 60 minutes a day,

doing things like cycling, swimming or running, because these use the big muscles in the body.

A study published earlier this year in BMC Medicine suggests children should be physically active

for at least 80 minutes a day, of which 20 minutes should be vigorous exercise, to protect them

from cardiovascular problems later in life.

Written by Catharine Paddock PhD

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