According to a study presented by the American Heart Association (AHA), today's children run slower and shorter distances than their parents at the same age , reflecting a sustained decline in physical health over the past 30 years . Today's children specifically take 90 seconds longer to run a distance of 1.6 kilometers.
Analysis of the performance of 25 million children over 46 years has revealed that cardiovascular endurance has suffered a sustained decline of 5% every decade. This worsening of physical resistance is closely related to obesity, since in 60% of cases it is due to an accumulation of fat due to lack of vigorous exercise.
Given these figures, specialists recall the importance of preserving cardiovascular health from childhood, recommending one hour of exercise a day. From the British Heart Foundation, they insist that any type of sport is not valid, but that it must be an activity of high sweating and prolongation such as walking, cycling or running in the park.
The study highlights the need for teachers and parents to carry out an intensive monitoring of the child's physical activity, and that this is not limited to going to the gym sporadically or being part of a school team.
