Slower than your parents

Nieuws | de redactie

21 november 2013 | Children are on average 90 seconds slower on a mile’s run than their parents were 30 years ago. A research covering 25 million children over 46 years rendered unsettling results.

At the annual meeting of the American Heart Association the research of the University of South Australia’s School of Health Sciences  was presented. Across 28 nations, the research shows, cardiovascular endurance – the ability to run – has fallen by 5% every ten years.

Of course the decline in endurance is linked to obesity in children, says lead researcher Dr. Grant Tomkinson of the University of South Australia: “In fact, about 30% to 60% of the declines in endurance running performance can be explained by increases in fat mass.”

Inactive childhood

While the problem is typically for Western Countries, other parts of the world increasingly experience the same problems. The solution according to Dr. Tomkinson lies in the area of vigorous exercise, and at least one hour of it every day. Furthermore the exercise should really make you sweat.

Dr. Tomkinson underlined the importance of physical movement for children, as an inactive childhood has serious health implications in later life. “If a young person is generally unfit now, then they are more likely to develop conditions like heart disease later in life.”