A study into fitness in young people has found that almost 10 per cent of 15- to 17-year-olds suffer from high blood pressure. Fiona Gartland reports.
The Take Part Study: Physical Activity Research for Teenagers found that 60 per cent of 15- to 17-year-olds studied did not meet the current recommendations for physical activity.
The report, by Dr Catherine Woods, Dr Niall Moyna, Dr Donal O'Gorman and Norah Nelson of Dublin City University's school of health and human performance, studied levels of activity in 845 15- to 17- year-olds over two years.
It found that almost 20 per cent of those surveyed were overweight or obese.
Some 71 per cent of girls and 49 per cent of boys were classified as not regularly active. Low activity at this age can mean a greater likelihood of illnesses in later life including high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, gallstones, insulin resistance and other "avoidable" medical conditions, the report said.
Fewer than one in five surveyed walked or cycled to school. Some 19 per cent of car users travelled less than a mile to school, and 17 per cent travelled less than two miles to school.
Outside school, both boys and girls spent more than four hours a day on sedentary leisure. The boys surveyed preferred technological activities such as video games and computers, while the girls favoured talking on the phone and talking to friends.
Among those who did take part in regular physical activity, girls were more likely to opt for aerobics, dancing or walking, while boys preferred football.
The report recommended the introduction of national guidelines on physical activity for young people and the production of an action plan.
It said responsibility for the plan should lie with one Government department. Schools would also be required to play their part by supporting and enhancing the physical activity provided at school and by facilitating safe ways to walk or cycle to school.
Dr Woods said adolescents should take at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day. "The best physical activity is that which is built into the lifestyle, such as walking to school," she said.
"It is also most likely to be continued into adulthood."
She said any exercise that involved an increase in heart rate and breathing was beneficial.
"The best thing parents can do for younger children is to put them outside to play," she added.