Children take one and a half minutes longer to run a mile than their parents at their age
Modern children would finish nearly quarter of a mile behind children of 40 years ago in a mile long race according to new research
A review of studies from around the world has shown that children today would finish a minute and a half behind their parents in a mile long race Photo: ALAMY
By Richard Gray, Science Correspondent
6:47PM GMT 19 Nov 2013
Modern children perform less well when running than their parents did at their age, according to new research.
A review of studies from around the world has shown that children today would finish a minute and a half behind their parents in a mile long race.
The researchers claim the endurance of modern children is on average 15 per cent less than in youngsters of the same age 30 to 40 years ago.
Researchers blame growing levels of obesity and time sat watching television or playing computer games for the fall in fitness.
They argue that children in previous decades tended to run around outside a lot more which improved their endurance and cardiovascular health.
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Dr Grant Tomkinson, who led the study at the University of South Australia, said they examined 50 studies on running fitness that involved more than 25 million children from 28 countries.
He said: "The most important type of fitness for good health is your aerobic fitness – the ability to perform prolonged and exhaustive exercise like running several laps around an oval (track).
"The results of this study show that there have been substantial declines in children's ability to perform anaerobic exercise.
"This suggests there have been declines in the general health of children.
"In the one mile run the typical child of today will finish about one and a half minutes behind the typical child in 1975.
"That equates to about 300 metres, almost quarter of a mile behind the typical child of 1975."
The researchers analysed 50 studies on running fitness, conducted between 1964 and 2010, in children aged between nine and 17 years old.
Each looked at how far children could run in five to fifteen minutes or how long it took then to run half a mile to two miles.
The researchers found that on average, cardiovascular endurance declined by around five per cent every decade from 1975.
In some parts of the world, such as in China and other parts of Asia, children were nearly 30 per cent less fit than children 30 years ago.
In parts of Europe, Japan and Australia, however, there was little decline in fitness in the last 15 years as lifestyles improved slightly.
The findings were presented at a Scientific Session of the American Heart Association in Dallas, Texas.
Dr Tomkinson said modern children were not used to performing aerobic exercise because they did not run or cycle as much and spend more time indoors.
He said: "If a young person is generally unfit now, then they are more likely to develop conditions like heart disease later in life.
"Children today are certainly fatter than they were in the past. If children are carrying more fat mass then it is harder for them to perform prolonged and exhaustive exercise.
"Another key reason is that children are also less accustomed to performing prolonged and exhaustive exercise.
"We need to inspire children to be physically active and perform exercise every day – about 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise very day like running, swimming and cycling.
"They can accumulate that in bite sized chunks like 10 minute bouts.
"We need to inspire young children to keep active to improve their general health now and in the future."
The findings come after another study recently showed that modern boys have a resting heart rate that is two beats per minute higher than their peers 30 years ago, while girls are one beat per minute higher.
It suggests childrens' unhealthy lifestyles are leaving them at high risk of heart disease in later life.
Last year the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence recommended that children should be encouraged to walk and cycle to school.
Less than three per cent of children between the ages of two and 15 years old currently get the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity a day.
Professor Neil Armstrong, co-director of the Children's Health and Exercise Research Centre at Exeter University, said: "This latest research shows that performance rather than fitness has declined.
"This is because children today are carrying more weight. Body fat accoutns for arund 50 to 70 per cent of performance when running a mile, but it does not necessarily mean children are less fit.
"It means the advice we give to children should be to reduce weight rather than improve their cardiovascular fitness - so long perods of prolonged exercise rather than short high intensity bursts."
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