Generation X, Generation Y, Generation Inactive

UK active, a not-for-profit organisation – whose vision is to get more people, more active, more often – has released a report entitled ‘Generation Inactive’. According to UK Active, school children should not only be tested on academic subjects but also their fitness levels. The aim of the report was to explore how English Primary schools track and monitor the activity and fitness levels of their pupils; it found that less than half the schools surveyed knew how much time their children spent being physically active in lessons. Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, the former Paralympian and current chair of UK Active, has described these school children as ‘the most inactive generation of young people we’ve ever had’ and went on to explain how half of 7 year olds are not even getting the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity a day.

According to the report, inactivity costs the UK economy £8.2 billion pounds a year, and directly contributes to 1 in 6 deaths in the UK, making it twice as significant an indicator of premature death than BMI. The report outlines recommendations on how to get children more physically active, and also stresses the need for a better understanding of children’s activity. This involves extending the National Child Measurement Programme to measure fitness, extensively training teachers to deliver effective physical education, to ensure that children view physical activity as a behavioural norm throughout the day, and to support children in need of guidance and motivation. This will hopefully lead to a more targeted approach in improving children’s fitness as well as overall health.