Exercise levels for children have remained below the recommended levels since the last Covid-19 lockdown was lifted, according to a University of Bristol study. The 'surprising' research found that by the end of 2021 just 36 per cent were meeting the national recommended physical activity guidelines.
It discovered that 10 to 11-year-olds took part in on average just 56 minutes – less than the recommended hour – of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity during weekdays from last April to December. This is a drop of 13 per cent compared to levels that children of a similar age were doing before the pandemic.
Senior author Russ Jago, Professor of Physical Activity and Public Health in the School for Policy Studies, said: “It was surprising the extent children’s physical activity levels had fallen after the pandemic, indicating that changes in physical activity patterns did not revert to previous levels once freedoms had been restored.
