Couch Culture: Only a Quarter of US Youth Get the Recommended Exercise

Couch Culture: Only a Quarter of US Youth Get the Recommended Exercise

　　It's no surprise that most kids don't exercise, but the first national survey documented exactly how inactive American children are. In 2008, the US government issued its first guidelines for physical activity, based on studies indicating which exercises people should try and how long they should be active in order to improve their health. The recommendations included daily physical activity of moderate to vigorous intensity for 60 minutes for children. In the latest analysis of how well the advice is being followed, the National Center for Health Statistics found that only about 24 percent of the American youth surveyed in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey got the recommended amount.

　　The survey found that young boys were more physically active than girls. Twenty-seven percent of the boys met the guidelines compared to 22 percent of the girls. Among the boys, basketball was the most common way to exercise, followed by running, football, and bike riding. For the girls, running was the most common form of exercise, followed by walking, basketball, and dancing. The survey also revealed some unsurprising patterns regarding physical activity and weight. The percentage of boys who exercised dropped as their weight increased, confirming the vicious cycle between inactivity and obesity.

　　The findings suggest that public health campaigns, such as First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move!, should make heavier kids a priority since they face greater challenges in exercising. With one out of every three children in the US now overweight or obese, the survey authors say encouraging more kids to become active is critical to reducing their risk of becoming adults with chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.

美国青少年的沙发文化

　　大多数的孩子都不运动这一点并不足为奇，但是首次进行的全国性调查却证明了美国的孩子究竟有多么怠惰。2008 年，美国政府首度推出体育活动的方针，其根据是针对人们应该尝试哪些运动和应该运动多久来改善健康状况所做的研究。这些建议包括孩童每天应从事强度从适中到激烈的体育活动，且时间应达六十分钟。根据一项有关该建议落实情形的最新分析指出，美国国家健康统计中心发现接受国家健康与营养检查访问的美国年轻人中，只有大约百分之二十四达到建议的数量。

　　这项调查发现男孩子的体力比女孩子更加充沛。百分之二十七的男孩达到指标，相较之下女孩子达到指标的比例只有百分之二十二。对男孩们而言，打篮球是最常见的运动方式，其次则是跑步、踢足球以及骑单车。而对女孩们而言，最常见的运动方式为跑步，其次则是步行、打篮球以及跳舞。该项调查也揭示了一些意料中的模式，其与体育活动和体重有关。一旦有在运动的男孩百分比降低了，他们的体重便随之增加，那显示出长期不运动和肥胖之间的恶性循环。

　　这些研究结果表示，象是美国第一夫人蜜雪儿‧欧巴马所发起的『让我们动起来』这样的大众健康活动应该将体重较重的孩子摆在优先的地位，因为他们在运动时会面临更大的考验。由于现今美国每三个小孩就有一个体重过重或是肥胖，这项调查的发起人们表示，鼓励更多孩童动起来对减低他们长大后患有糖尿病、癌症或心脏病的风险而言至关重要。