National health institutes recommend that primary school children devote at least one hour a day to active games and sports and spend less than two hours in front of a TV or computer screen.
But for children to spend more time outdoors, in active games, it is not enough just to limit the time they watch TV and video games, American scientists found out.
Despite the recommendations, only four out of ten children, as the researchers found out, show sufficient physical activity and limit the time spent in front of the screen.
The findings are based on a survey of parents of more than 1,200 children in the United States aged 6 to 11 years. It turned out that 70% of children actually spend at least an hour a day in games and sports. 54% limit screen time according to recommendations, and 38% follow both recommendations.
According to statistics, 17% of children and adolescents in the United States are obese. Obesity is associated mainly with the fact that children are not active enough. However, there is no guarantee that by limiting “screen time” children will play sports. The main ways to solve the problem is to raise the children from the sofas and send them to the open air.
Parents can be advised to use a computer or TV as a reward for physical activity, and use commercial breaks for fitness. Family time should be filled as much as possible with physical activity. For this purpose, you can give children toys that promote physical activity, rather than inaction.
