Konferencer - Afsluttede

Kidsafe Sydney

August 2006

https://secure.saneevent.com.au/ei/cm.esp?id=118&pageid=_1MC0QF23N

The backseat generation in puberty - promoting youth activity

These years an obesity epidemic spreads rapidly in children and youth throughout the world. The WHO recommends a minimum of one hour a day moderate physical activity for children and youngsters, half an hour for adults.

This minimum demand of physical activity is far from being met. In Europe 33% of the children do not meet these requirements. Teenage children and girls in particular have far to sedentary lifestyles. The reasons are often based in cultural heritage. But researchers state the lack of opportunities to be active, mainly during weekends, is a main culprit here. By increasing the number of PE lessons at school, we know that the condition of children can be bettered. But by increasing the areas with free access to free play activity  we offer our teenagers a possibility of being together and physically active in a sphere of their own.

As more than 2.5 million people worldwide die from overweight related illnesses a year, action needs to be taken. By taking children’s need to play and teenagers’ request for places to be seriously, our societies respect much more than the right to be physically active. Places for teenagers will be a solution to the increasing lack of movement in society. If planned with teenagers, areas for outdoor teenage activity can be used as a tool to include teenagers in decisions and democratic processes and give them ownership to their local area, our democratic values and future citizenship.