Keeping children active is not just a healthy and fun approach to family life that can stave off obesity and future problems such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It can also help children perform better at school.
Research on the cognitive benefits of keeping children active is increasingly being reported around the world. At the universities of Leeds and Aberdeen in Britain, researchers found that children who did moderately intensive exercise scored significantly better in concentration tests than those who didn't.
'It also raises the question of how much the often-reported decline in children's attention spans in modern-day life stems from a lack of physical exercise,' says Dr Justin Williams, a senior lecturer in child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Aberdeen.
Last year, the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois did a study of nine- and 10-year-olds using magnetic resonance imaging. After determining their fitness levels with a treadmill test, they were given a cognitive challenge. Fit children were found to have larger basal ganglia, the part of the brain that aids in keeping attention and the ability to co-ordinate actions and thoughts crisply.
Recent figures indicate that youngsters in Hong Kong aren't exercising enough. The University of Hong Kong reported that 35 per cent of those aged 13 to 20 suffered from spinal disc degeneration, of whom 93 per cent had lower back pain. And 20 per cent of children between six years old and 18 years old were overweight or obese in 2008-09, according to the Health Department.
Heather Thomas Shalabi, Pilates instructor and co-director of Flex Studio, says posture problems and a lifetime of back pain can be avoided if parents take action beforehand. 'Engaging in regular physical activity as a child usually means you will have good habits for life. Plus, it's fun and helps them let off steam. This sets them up for a healthy, happier future,' she says.
