Active play: Encouraging adolescents to keep active could reduce future cardiovascular disease, study suggests
Last updated 7/27/2010 4:47:50 PM
Encouraging adolescents to keep active could reduce future cardiovascular disease
Active play has a positive impact on children's physical activity and could play an important part in the health of future generations, a new study suggests.
Preventing the decline in physical activity that occurs as children enter adolescence may reduce future risk of cardiovascular disease and obesity, the University of Bristol researchers concluded.
The study , funded by a grant from the British Heart Foundation , examined a cross-section of 747, 10 to 11-year-olds, between from 40 primary schools in Bristol.
Researcher Rowan Brockman said: "Active play makes a significant contribution to health-enhancing physical activity of many primary school children and may be a valuable focus for future interventions. Our research also suggests that the after-school period, when some children have greater freedom of choice, seems to be a critical period for active play."
More frequent active play was associated with greater physical activity levels and a greater intensity of physical activity for both boys and girls on weekdays after school. Frequent active play was only associated with higher mean activity levels on weekends for boys.