UK Youth Too Busy To 'Get Physical'

New research shows that, like their parents, today's children lead hectic lives and leave exercise at the bottom of a long list of 'things to do'

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is joining forces with The Stroke Association to launch 'Let's Get Physical', a campaign to encourage people of all ages to do more physical activity. The two charities have teamed up for the first time to maximise the impact of the campaign and highlight the role physical activity plays in preventing both coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke.

A nationwide MORI survey¹ commissioned by the British Heart Foundation analysed 7 to 16 year-olds' feelings and attitudes towards physical activity. Worryingly, it seems that an increase in the pace of life is impacting on young people - one in six say that a lack of time stops them from being more active. These time constraints are much more prevalent in the older age groups - 43% of 14 to 16 year-olds find lack of time to be an issue.

Academic success is a big pressure - almost half (49%) of kids say they feel it is more important to study than to do physical activity. Parental encouragement is also a factor - almost a fifth (18%) agree that their parents do not encourage them to exercise, rising to 26% in low-income socio-economic groups.

Encouragingly, the survey revealed that young people recognise the benefits of being healthy and active. Over a third (39%) of youngsters admit physical activity makes them feel better about themselves and a further 39% say it makes them feel healthier. 59% make the connection that being active is good for the heart and two thirds (66%) of children say that they believe physical activity can help them make friends.

The young people interviewed had a huge range of interests - some sedentary but many of which included a level of physical activity. Only one in twelve said that they do not generally do any kind of physical activity. Over a third (36%) play actively during break times at school and popular activities in their spare time included playing outside, cycling and football. Along with active play, kids also enjoy watching TV and videos (21%), playing card and computer games (15%) and going shopping (11%).

Prof Stuart Biddle, from the BHF's National Centre for Physical Activity and Health at Loughborough University, says: "We can't just assume that kids are spending all of their free time slumped in front of the TV. Many of the social activities enjoyed by children and teenagers today are sedentary, for example, computer games, chatting on the phone or music practice. Yet that doesn't mean that young people are fundamentally 'lazy' or inactive. What we need to find out now is how to encourage children to bring physical activity back into their busy lifestyles. Some have been shown to watch plenty of TV, or spend many hours on a computer, but have also found time to be active - so it is possible"

The focus of the joint campaign is to show people how to take simple steps towards introducing more activity into their lives, whether it be walking rather than driving, taking the stairs not the lift or encouraging kids to be more active through play.

Eoin Redahan, Director of Public Relations at The Stroke Association; "We believe that by increasing awareness of the benefits of physical activity people of all ages will exercise more and the number of strokes will decrease. At the moment we're worried that the number of strokes and heart attacks is on the increase and that children are becoming time-bombs for both of these killer diseases."

To begin addressing some the issues raised in the research, the British Heart Foundation and the Stroke Association are launching key educational resources.

• A teenage competition called 'Don't just sit there!', inviting 11- to 16-year-olds in schools, out of school clubs and youth clubs to design a concept which will encourage their peer group to be more active. This could be a poster, leaflet, video or 3D object - the choice is theirs. To request an application pack email: [email protected] or phone: 020-7401 4070.
• The Stroke Association is circulating a Let's Get Physical poster for gyms and leaflets for adults and young persons. These are available free by ringing 01604-623 933/623 934.
• A 'Let's get physical pocket play pack' for 7- to 11-year-olds. The interactive, pocket-sized pack shows how being active can be fun and encourages children to increase their activity week by week. It has been developed by the Education department in conjunction with the BHF National Centre for Physical Activity and Health. Packs are FREE by calling BHF on 0870-909 0111.

Other Key Findings From The Study Include:

• 7-10 year old kids tend to do less structured sporting activities but were more likely to play outside actively with their friends - less than half of these are aware that this can help them be fit and healthy.
• 11-13 year olds get the most from physical activity. At this age, children are learning to be sociable, making friends and do not have the exam pressures of the older kids. This age group is the most physically active and enjoys exercise the most.
• 14-16 year olds are starting to feel the pressures of exams - 56% feel that study is more important than physical activity. They are also becoming self-conscious and other interests may be becoming more important. They are less likely to 'play actively' in the same way as younger children and are the most reluctant to exercise.
• A third of all young people (33%) feel they will look better and get a better body if they are fit and healthy. Response was highest in the body conscious teen years with 41% of 14-16 year olds believing it was a key element of being fit.
• One in five 14-16 year olds believed that becoming fitter and healthier meant hard work. As opposed to only 12% of 7-10 year olds.
• Boys are more likely than girls to do exercise because it makes them healthy (56% compared to 48%), while girls are likely to do exercise to look good and lose weight (11% compared to 4%).
• Those who do physical activities, such as sport, are far more likely to be boys (67% compared to 47% girls). Girls (33% to 23% boys) and younger children (37% 7-10's compared to 23% 11-16s) are more likely to do activities which are not sport related.
• When asked how they spent their break times at school, 70% of 7-10 year olds say they play actively compared with only 3% of 14-16 year olds.
• In terms of attitudes to physical activity, children from higher socio-economic groups tend to be encouraged by their parents more and see the fun and sociable side of exercise as opposed to those in lower socio-economic groups.
• 34% of young people see David Beckham as the celebrity they most think of as being really fit and healthy. Michael Owen is the second most mentioned, mostly by boys (27% to 16%). Geri Halliwell is the third most nominated, by 16% - all of which are girls.

Technical details

1. The survey was conducted by MORI on behalf of the British Heart Foundation. The questions were asked of a nationally representative sample (413) 7-16 year olds throughout Great Britain via a children's telephone Omnibus. Interviews were carried out between 31st August and 7th September 2001
2. The British Heart Foundation is a major national charity that plays a leading role in the fight against heart and circulatory disease, the UK's biggest killer. It is the largest independent funder of heart research in the UK
3. The Stroke Association is the only national charity dedicated to helping people of all ages who are affected by stroke. Every year 100,000 people in this country have a first stroke.

When a stroke occurs part of the brain is suddenly severely damaged or destroyed. It takes place either when a blood clot forms in a damaged vessel and blocks the flow of blood to the brain, or when a damaged vessel in the brain bursts.