Britain's teenagers are not exercising enough, with only one in six children aged between 11 and 17 keeping active every day, while just one in eight teenage girls exercised daily, according to new World Health Organisation (WHO) findings that prompted calls for action.
The research shows that only 13% of UK teenage girls are active every day, along with one in five (21%) of boys. On average, UK adolescents are active on only four days a week, and just under 40% report three or fewer active days.
UK teenagers do not get as much exercise as their peers in Finland, where 28% are active every day, and Canada, where a quarter (25%) report at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity each day.
NHS recommendations and health benefits
The NHS recommends that children aged between 5 and 18 aim for at least 60 minutes of moderate or vigorous activity a day, which can be spread across the week. Moderate activity includes brisk walking, riding a bike and dancing, while vigorous activity includes running, swimming, skipping or fast cycling.
There is "strong scientific evidence" that being physically active can lower the risk of early death by up to 30% and can reduce the risk of major illnesses such as heart attacks, strokes, type two diabetes and cancer.
Global activity levels remain low
Researchers found that physical activity among teenagers around the world is "low", especially for girls. The new study of 3.2 million children and teenagers aged 11 to 17 found that 25% are not active on any days of the week. Globally, just 14% of teenagers are active every day, and teenagers are active for an average of 2.7 days each week.
"Globally, adolescent physical activity remains low, especially among girls," the authors wrote. Lead author Dr Tessa Strain from the University of Edinburgh said: "In our new study we find that while UK teens are about as active as their European peers, most teens are simply not active enough.
"We see pronounced inequalities in the UK: girls are much less active than boys, and older teens are less active than younger teens. We need to make being active the easy and enjoyable choice. Adolescents need safe routes to walk, cycle, wheel or scoot to school. They need green spaces to explore. They need opportunities to be active throughout the school day, not just in PE."
No improvement since 2010
Despite efforts to improve exercise levels, there has been "no improvement in adolescent physical activity since 2010 globally and in most regions". In 2018, global health officials set a target to reduce teenage physical inactivity, but the authors said that no country is on track to meet the 2030 target.
The study also suggests that activity levels among teenagers declined as they got older. On average, 11-year-olds reported 4.6 active days each week while 17-year-olds reported 3.6.
Professor Seth Flaxman from the University of Oxford added: "Globally and in the UK, too many teens are not active enough. One in four teens worldwide are not active for even one hour on any day of the week. We know this affects their physical and mental health today and for the rest of their lives. We have the power to change this as a society. We can empower teens to be active every day and create inclusive policies to reach that 25% of teens who are not active on any day."
The research comes as figures show rising levels of obesity among young children in England. The National Childhood Measurement programme measures the height and weight of children in reception, when they are aged four or five, and again at the end of primary school when they are aged 10 or 11. Some 10.7% of children in the reception year of primary school are obese, while 22.8% of those in Year 6 are too.
Asked about levels of obesity, health minister James Frith told LBC Radio: "It's a real concern. It would be a real concern for parents, parents like me. And it's a daily struggle as a parent to ensure that your child is learning about diet, the consequences of not doing exercise or indeed eating the wrong things.
"But this Government has brought in breakfast clubs, free school meals as a common stead in our school system, as well as initiatives like the Daily Mile and Healthy Start. Government takes very seriously the issue of obesity, and very often, its association with our poorest communities accessing takeaways or fast food.
"Some of the Government's measures, including toughening up planning regs, mean local authorities can actually veto more decisions to put takeaways near schools, for example."
The research is from new global estimates released by the WHO and published in The Lancet Global Health.
