Child fitness - is it a case of 'Extreme Parental Guidance'?

This week on Channel 4, Extreme Parental Guidance, a new documentary which looks into the day-to-day challenges parents face, examined the physical fitness of school children in 2010 compared to those of a study in 1959.

Not surprisingly, the results showed that children are substantially less fit today than they were over five decades ago. Child development specialist James Taylor looks at this issue and how modern society is to blame for the rise in this sedentary lifestyle.

Maintaining healthy lifestyles is one of the hardest challenges modern society faces in the 21st century. The blame, alongside the usual reasons of too much junk food has come to rest, at least in part, with too little physical exercise.

In 1959, a study was carried out measuring the fitness levels of more than 3,000 seven- to ten-year-olds. Leeds Metropolitan University, who recently re-discovered the results of the test, teamed up with Supernanny Jo Frost and put 80 of today's ten year olds through the same challenges to see how they would compare.

The results of the test showed that children of today were shockingly unfit compared to their counter parts of 1959.  With more access to organised sports, access to healthcare and more knowledge of the importance of nutrition, today’s generation should be fitter than those in 1959. Therefore, this presents the question, is the lack of physical activity one of the most challenging dilemmas facing society today?

In recent decades, several studies have highlighted concerns about the fitness and participation in physical activities of young children. Declining fitness in society could be blamed on modern day technology including video games and television, combined with the number of British families who are increasingly living “couch potato” lifestyles.

Modern day technology has replaced more traditional forms of leisure time and exercise is no longer part of most children’s days.  Children less frequently walk or cycle to school, and some don’t even play sport, instead spending hours in front of a television or computer. These modern day activities not only contribute to a lack of physical activity but can also hamper young children’s ability to learn important life skills. Interest in sport leads to a desire to participate in it in some way and teaches teamwork, communication skills, leadership and self confidence.

Furthermore the role of sport in society, particularly schools has been debated for many decade. According to leading health specialists, children should be participating in at last 60 minutes of physical activity each day, but at least four out of ten boys and six out of ten girls fail to reach this target.

If we are to alter attitudes toward physical activity and encourage it, education is vital. Research suggests that low levels of physical activity in childhood have been linked with low levels in adulthood. Therefore it is essential that schools create positive experiences for children when they partake in physical activity, encouragement is a necessity and praise is vital. This in turn will help shape their attitudes and skills, further instilling confidence, allowing them to take part in a range of activities during their childhood and continue them through into adult life.

It is also a case of educating children about the importance of maintaining a healthy balanced diet. The UK is a nation of junk food lovers, often opting for fast food outlets rather than cooking healthy alternatives. If we are to promote the importance of physical activity this needs to go hand in hand with promoting healthy lifestyles. If we are to change the current lifestyle trend of society we need to educate children about the importance of eating nutritious foods like fresh fruit and vegetables

However, all this needs to be part of a much bigger campaign. If we are to combat children’s attitude towards physical activity, parents also need to take responsibility. Research suggests that currently over a third of Britain's mums and dads are unaware of the recommended activity levels for children. Parents should become role models for their children, encouraging participation in physical activity and structuring family time to include exercise. Therefore if we introduce physical activity to children at a very young age, this will provide the foundation needed to foster interest which should continue for a lifetime.

Major changes are needed and expectations need to be raised if we are to achieve higher levels of physical activity among children and young people. Although a large amount of responsibility ultimately lies with parents, if we are to tackle the issue of fitness, a combined effort from the government, schools and parents is needed. This in turn will ensure that children are given as many opportunities as possible to engage in physical exercise and improve their fitness levels. 

Child development specialist James Taylor is the founder and managing director of SportStars, a company which specialises in providing high quality sports coaching to schools across Wales, spreading the benefits and pleasures of sport.

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