Children鈥檚 physical activity returns to pre-pandemic levels, study suggests
By Rachel Lawler
Children鈥檚 levels of physical activity have returned to their pre-pandemic levels, according to new research from the University of Bristol.
According to the study, 41% of children in the UK were getting the recommended hours of physical activity each week by summer 2022.
This is an increase since the immediate aftermath of the pandemic, which saw just 37% of children getting the recommended amount of physical activity each week.
However, the current statistics show that the majority of children are still not getting enough physical activity each week.
The study also showed that children are still more sedentary during the week than they were before the pandemic 鈥 with children spending an average of 13 extra minutes a day being inactive than before 2020.
Funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, the study measured children鈥檚 physical activity for seven months, asking children and their carers to wear accelerometers to measure their levels of activity.
The study also found that parents were getting an average of eight more minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity at the weekend than they were before the pandemic.
The study鈥檚 lead author Russ Jago, professor of physical activity and public health, said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 encouraging that on average children鈥檚 physical activity levels are back to where they were before the pandemic.p
鈥淏ut it鈥檚 taken nearly a year since the last public lockdown was lifted, and children鈥檚 increased sedentary time during the week has persisted, which is an area of concern for policy makers, schools, and parents.鈥