The BBC has reported that Scottish children are among the least active in the world.
It says that Scotland has been placed joint last in an international study of physical activity among children. However, the Active Healthy Kids Report Card praised Scotland’s policies on encouraging physical activity, which were ranked joint second-highest of the 38 countries. The global study was led in Scotland by Prof John Reilly of Strathclyde University, who said Scotland still seemed to have a culture of low activity.
The research found that Scotland had one of the best environments and infrastructure for outdoor play among the 38 nations that took part, but it was ranked joint worst for exercise, and for the amount of time children spend in front of screens. The study found parents were often reluctant to allow children to play outside, and that competition from sedentary and screen-based activities was also a major factor. The report also found the availability of facilities such as gyms, leisure centres and parks in Scotland was high by international standards. It is the second time the study has been carried out – with this year’s results similar to those published in 2014.
You can take a horse to water, but what do you have to do to make it drink?