Children Under Five Need at Least Three Hours of Daily Exercise

In an effort to curb the ever-growing worldwide obesity epidemic, chief medical officers for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have banded together to issue new guidelines for healthy toddler physical activity.

The guidelines suggest that children under five years of age need to exercise for at least three hours daily. Getting these youngsters on an exercise routine that includes walking for 15 minutes each day, swimming, and playing on “baby gym” mats is strongly encouraged. Even infants who haven’t begun to walk need to get into the action.

According to England’s chief medical officer,Sally Davies, “For children that are not yet walking, there is considerable evidence that letting children crawl, play or roll around on the floor is essential during early years.”

The issuance of the new guidelines marks the first effort to target the physical activity of children under five in hopes of warding off obesity later in life. Regarding the importance of early physical activity, Davies noted, “Play that allows under-fives to move about is critical and three hours a day is essential. I think there are parents who are not aware how important it is for their children to be physically active for a minimum of three hours. Other parents are very busy and may not see how important it is to get that prioritization and balance right.”

The guidelines come on the heel of warnings recently issued by England’s Department of Health, which mirror those issued in the United States. “Due to the sheer number of children who are overweight, it is only a matter of time before England will face [issues such as] a liver disease crisis. A culture of overeating [is] placing in excess of half a million young lives at risk.”

Statistics to support the recommendation on page 2