The 2016 Active Healthy Kids Australia Report Card has again shown that Aussie kids are some of the least active in the world, receiving a D minus for physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Less than 1 in 5 aged between 5-17 meet the recommended 60 minutes of moderate – vigorous physical activity each day, and less than a third meet the sedentary behaviour screen time guidelines of less than 2 hours a day. These results are an urgent wakeup call to us all: government, educators, policy makers, community organisations, sports and parents.
We need a National Physical Activity Plan that engages us with policies and strategies that make movement part of our everyday; our default position, not just something we choose to participate in. But, we also need to go back to basics, to show our kids that movement and play is, above all else, fun. Kids know it’s fun to move; it’s up to us as their role models to engage them in movement, give them a diverse mix of experiences and show them that we also enjoy and value movement and physical activity. This will help equip them with the confidence and motivation they need to enjoy being active into their adult years.
There is no one group that can improve the health and wellbeing of Aussie kids. Federal, state and local governments, schools, communities, sporting organisations and parents need to demonstrate through words and actions that they value physical activity and will commit to setting a positive example so our kids have the tools and skills they need to live active, healthy lives.
For a full copy of the Active Healthy Kids Australia 2016 Report Card, click here.