Weight Management
The connection between physical activity and obesity in children is high, especially at a young age. Increasing physical activity and minimizing calorie intake has been noted as a successful weight loss approach.
The need for more attention to be paid to the battle against obesity is far reaching; this is where GetKidsActive.com begins its role. Overweight children are more likely to get health problems than children who are a healthy weight. Some of the health risks associated with obesity in children is: hypertension, type 2 diabetes, growth hormone deregulation, and respiratory and orthopedic problems, for more information on any of these conditions please consult with your GP. Self-esteem and socializing problems are other non-medical problems which associate with obesity in children. Not only does obesity chase children into their later life but over 40% of overweight children become obese adults.
Bone Building
Physical activity for children when they are young has life long effects on bone development. It has been scientifically proven that exercise lowers the risk of getting osteoporosis by the increasing amount of bone minerals.
A study that involved 45 pre-pubertal female children with the average age of 10, 36 retired gymnasts with the average age of 25, and 50 matched controls found considerably greater bone material in the young and retired gymnasts. The researchers noticed that bone did not diminish during retirement, even though the inferior rate and amount of physical activity. They concluded that physical activity before puberty may lessen the risk of getting a fracture later in life.
Prevention of Heart Disease
Although cardiovascular disease is normally only evident in adults; risky signs appear early in life and are usually persistent. There has been extensive research regarding the effects of physical activity on cardiovascular diseases in adults, and children. Some studies imply that physical activity is valuable for children. One study compared 28 pre-pubertal children who participated in a 12-week exercise program which involved cycling for 30 minutes, three times per week, against 20 children who did not exercise. This study found that children who exercised had positive effects on their blood pressure, fitness, and weight loss.
Beneficial for Mental Health
That exercise has a beneficial effect on mental health for children as well as adults is an attractive, intuitive, and widely held notion. For example, one review states that most studies, which have primarily involved adults, have documented improvements in depressive and anxiety symptoms. However, in areas such as self-concept, hard data are scarce. Some studies suggest that the positive effect of exercise is limited and that exercise improves children's physical self-image but not academic or general self-worth. Sports participation has not been shown to foster moral development, which appears to depend on the specific context and conditions such as role models and leadership.
Exercise may improve the ability of young people to cope with stress. A study of 220 adolescent girls during a high-stress period found that those who adhered to a rigorous exercise program reported less physical and emotional distress than those who exercised less.
Does Activity Follow Into Adulthood?
It would be gratifying to report that early exercise patterns continue into adulthood. While this seems intuitively so, supporting data have been limited and reflect the fallibility of recall and the difficulty of following individuals from preteen years to adulthood.
One recent study compared 174 men and women who had five PE sessions per week in the 6 years of elementary school (in the early 1970s) with a control group of 720 who had less frequent PE. When surveyed in the mid 1990s, women, but not men, in the high-frequency PE group reported more frequent physical activity than controls. Men who had more frequent PE as children, however, were significantly less likely to smoke than controls (11.3% vs. 30.8%).
Another study suggested that childhood exercise, if promoted unwisely, can impede adult physical activity. An analysis of the preteen and teenage experience of 105 middle-age men found that coercion to exercise in youth had a weak but statistically significant negative effect on physical activity in adulthood. The authors noted that the results seem to emphasize the need to give children a voice in their physical activity and sports participation.
Tailoring the Program
In sum, the lesson for physicians seems to be: Promote exercise in young patients, but do it positively and realize that activities must be individualized for each child. In light of the prevalence of sedentary behavior and its potential health consequences, a discussion of physical activity should be part of every exam. The issue deserves the same kind of attention as counseling on smoking and other aspects of health maintenance.
Exercise promotion is particularly important when working with girls or minority or low-income youth, who, for many reasons, have been shown to have more sedentary lifestyles. Children who have disabilities are generally less fit than those who are able-bodied; ironically, they probably need higher fitness levels to improve their function later in life. Except for that promoted by organizations such as the Special Olympics, exercise opportunities are few for children who have disabilities, and individuals, schools, and communities should do more to foster sports and recreation programs for them.
Obtaining an activity inventory can help physicians more fully understand patients' activities and energy expenditure. It can also help physicians suggest activities that are most appropriate for children's age, size, abilities, interests, and medical conditions. Questions may be asked about:
- Physical education, including the frequency of classes and types of activities;
- Aerobic activities such as running and soccer versus relatively non-aerobic activities such as baseball;
- Sedentary activity, including time spent with computers, video games, and television; and
- Recreational and other physical activities such as snowboarding, in-line skating, hiking, and working at a physically demanding job.
No single sport or exercise regimen is uniquely beneficial for the physical or emotional well-being of children. It is far more important to find, with the help of parents, activities that will be interesting and enjoyable for the child and are appropriate to his or her age and physical abilities (see "Is there a right age for sport?" In the GKA Article zone).
Though it is not necessary to exercise at anything approaching maximum capacity, aerobic activities are ideal. A reasonable goal, as suggested by the recent surgeon general's report on health and physical activity, is 30 minutes of moderate activity on most days of the week. Greater daily activity such as walking or climbing stairs also contributes to overall fitness and well-being.
Strength training has grown in popularity, and even prepubescent children can achieve measurable gains with little risk of injury and no adverse effect on bone, muscle, or joint development. Adequate supervision is essential, however, with emphasis placed on correct form and technique. Children should not lift maximum weights and should avoid ballistic movements until skeletal growth is completed.
In some cases, physicians may steer children toward exercises that are appropriate to their strengths and vulnerabilities. Patients with ligamentous laxity, for example, might be encouraged to swim or bicycle rather than play sports such as basketball that involve pivoting and twisting. Times of rapid growth often increase vulnerability to certain injuries, and a temporary switch to low-impact activities can prevent injury during these times.
Minimizing Injury Risk
Safety is paramount. Though exercise-related mishaps are common--one study found that 22% of school-aged children sustained injury during physical education class or in outside sports each year--most injuries are minor. A prudent approach will minimize overuse injuries and more serious trauma.
Children should not play when in pain or take painkillers to participate. Coaches and parents should be alert to signs that an overuse injury may be developing, such as limping on the field or rubbing of the arm after throwing.
In general, sensible precautions will minimize risk. Children should use appropriate equipment for each sport, including footwear that provides appropriate support and traction. Bicycle helmets are a must. Play areas should be free of debris, ruts, and divots.
Stretching and warm-up to minimize hamstring pulls and similar injuries should become habitual preludes to strenuous exercise. Children's bones often grow at a faster rate than adjacent muscles and tendons. Physes also grow at different rates. Seventy percent of the growth of the lower extremities occurs at the physes at the knees. These factors predispose children and adolescents to muscle tightness, especially at the hamstrings and quadriceps.
Don't overlook the obvious. The most common, severe, recreation-related injuries to children are caused by motor vehicles. Play areas should be away from traffic, and safe practices emphasized for walking and biking. The risk of injury when traveling to or from organised or casual play areas is far higher than the risk of play itself.
Advice about sun and heat protection.
Children, like adults, should wear sunscreen when exercising outside. To avoid dehydration, to which children's smaller size makes them more vulnerable, they should be taught to drink fluids before and after exercise and during activity that lasts longer than 20 to 30 minutes--without waiting until they are thirsty. Though carbohydrate-electrolyte sports drinks may have no special merit, they may enhance voluntary drinking because of their taste or ability to induce thirst.
The goal = safe, enjoyable exercise is readily attainable by virtually all youngsters. In children's exercise, a relatively modest amount of physician counseling will likely pay lasting dividends.
