WHO: To Grow up Healthy Children Need to Sit Less and Play More

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released its guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behavior and sleep for children, which reads that children need more physical activities to stay healthy.

“Children under five must spend less time sitting and watching screens, or restrained in prams and seats, get better quality sleep and have more time for active play if they are to grow up healthy,” the report reads.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that early childhood is a period of rapid development and a time when family lifestyle patterns can be adapted to boost health gains.

“Achieving health for all means doing what is best for health right from the beginning of people’s lives,” she added.

The report stresses that failure to meet current physical activity recommendations is responsible for more than 5 million deaths globally each year across all age groups. 

“Currently, over 23% of adults and 80% of adolescents are not sufficiently physically active. If the healthy physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep habits are established early in life, this helps shape habits through childhood, adolescence and into adulthood,” the organization said.

You can read about the guidelines of the organization here.

By Thea Morrison