Children still not getting their five a day

Friday November 14th, 2008

New figures show that many children in the UK are still not managing to eat five pieces of fruit and veg a day.

However, levels of physical activity are up to current government standards, according to a new report from the "SPEEDY" study (Sport, Physical activity and Eating behaviour: Environmental Determinants in Young people).

Researchers from the Medical Research Council and the University of East Anglia, UK, gathered information on 2,064 children aged nine to ten years in Norfolk in 2007.

Lead researcher, Dr Esther van Sluijs, explains: "To date, the extent of the problem of physical inactivity and unhealthy dietary habits in children has been largely unknown. Good data about physical activity, assessed using valid and reliable measures in large samples, are scarce."

Their results showed that more than two-thirds of children meet the physical activity recommendation of at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each day. However, only 57 per cent ate fruit every day, and only 50 per cent ate vegetables every day.

Boys were more likely than girls to be physically active and of normal weight. But boys also tended to eat less "healthy" foods and more snacks and soft drinks than girls.

In the journal BMC Public Health, the experts say: "The fact that almost 70 per cent of children meet national physical activity guidelines indicates that a prevention of decline, rather than increasing physical activity levels, might be an appropriate intervention target, although there is some uncertainty over whether these recommended levels are really sufficient.

"Promotion of daily fruit and vegetable intake in this age group is also warranted, possibly focusing on children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds."

van Sluijs, E. et al. Physical activity and dietary behaviour in a population-based sample of British 10-year old children: the SPEEDY study. BMC Public Health (in press).

Tags: Child Health | Nutrition & Healthy Eating | UK News

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