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Physical Activity in Childhood Provides Health Benefits in Adolescence

| May 28, 2015 Comment

Physical Activity in Childhood Provides Health Benefits in Adolescence – According to a study published in Pediatrics, children who are active for at least 60 minutes every day can reduce their risk of obesity and diabetes in adolescence.

A study conducted by University of Sydney researcher Emmanuel Stamatakis, involved 4,600 children. The kids, aged 11, were asked to wear a motion sensor for a week during waking hours to track their levels of physical activity, and their measurements and samples were taken. The kids were then followed up at age 15 and were measured and tested again. Genetics, diet, and other health risk factors were taken into consideration when determining the results.

Stamatakis found that kids who were engaged in moderate to vigorous physical activity for at least 60 minutes every day had better cardiometabolic health than those who didn’t. They also has less body fat and a lower risk of diabetes at age 15. But the ressults also showed that even the least active kids did not have any bad health outcomes at age 15. However, Stamatakis says that they may have poorer health in adulthood, when chronic disease occurs.

Researchers say that various measures need to be taken to encourage children to be physically active, whether it is having them walk to school, redesigning playgrounds or making changes to school curriculum to include more physical activity.

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