Two out of five school-going children in the National Capital Region have an unhealthy Body Mass Index (BMI), says a survey conducted by EduSports.
According to the survey, lack of appropriate playtime for children has rendered them unfit.
The survey, which was conducted on 16,164 children in 15 schools, shows that only 59.3 per cent of boys and 63.7 per cent of girls have a healthy BMI.
EduSports, a physical education and school sports company, tested students on their sprint capacity, flexibility, upper body strength, abdominal strength and BMI.
These parameters revealed that 1 in 2 children lack adequate lower body strength, 2 in 5 children do not possess adequate upper body strength, 1 in 5 children do not have the enough endurance capability, while 3 in 10 children do not have the desired sprint capacity.
Global recommendations on physical activity for children between 5 and 17 years of age call for at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day.
However, the time dedicated to physical activity for children of this age group is not enough.
The survey also found that while some schools offer three or more physical education periods per week, most offer just two.
It also found that students from schools which offer more than three periods are more fit and healthy.
Saumil Majumdar, CEO and co-founder of EduSports, said: “This survey, which is in its sixth year, is an eye opener for parents and schools who must come together to challenge the increasing levels of inactivity and sedentary lifestyles among school-going children. We believe that schools are the best sources of intervention to implement a structured sports programme that will help improve the fitness standard in children.”
“Our research shows that schools implementing a structured and age-appropriate sports programme show a substantial improvement in health and fitness levels of children, as compared to schools which have been running a non-inclusive programme. Research also shows that children who are active have a greater attention span and perform better academically,” Mr. Majumdar added.
