HK Children Exercising Less, Getting Fatter: Parents

Hong Kong parents say their children are exercising less and getting fatter, as they spend more time at home than usual because of the pandemic.

Researchers at Chinese University and the Jockey Club in February polled 825 parents of primary school children.

Fifty-seven percent of the respondents said their children exercised at least one hour fewer each day compared to October in 2020.

Professor Amy Ha from the university’s department of sports science and physical education said the fact that children were not able to attend physical education lessons because of class suspensions partly explained why some of them were exercising less.

She added that working parents might not have time to take their children outdoors to do exercise, and some might also be reluctant to do so, worrying that their kids could be infected by Covid.

Sixty-one percent of parents polled also said their children had spent at least one more hour per day using smartphones, tablets, or computers.

Meanwhile, 28 percent said their children had eaten more amid the pandemic and 68 percent said their kids had put on weight.

“We also noticed that they eat more…because they have less time to go out and they stay home. Sometimes parents might use food to comfort them. That’s why some of them are getting more weight,” Ha said.

She said the results are worrying, as the lack of exercise could affect people's physical and mental health.

“We have too much sedentary types of lifestyle… if we don’t move, our body just gets rusty. Like a machine, the human body also requires more stimulation and movement to optimise the growth of the quality [of life],” she said, adding that “you use it, or you lose it.”

According to the World Health Organisation, children and adolescents aged 5 to 17 should do at least an hour of moderate to vigorous-intensity activity every day.