Exercise and activity - children
You may have heard of the childhood obesity epidemic. But is it real? And if it is real, how important is it? And the answer is yes, it's very real. Up until about 1988, kids' weights in the United States were pretty constant over the years. But since 1988, they've been skyrocketing. And that's important for a few reasons. One of them is that what ever our weight is today, people tend to gain weight gradually over time. So if you're already overweight as a child that sets you up to be really overweight as an adult. And all the more so as a child because when kids, before puberty especially, are putting on extra weight, they tend to make new fat cells. Whereas adults, when they're getting overweight, tend to have the fat cells they already have get larger. People who make more fat cells during childhood find it easier to gain even more weight as an adult and harder to lose weight. So kids are setting habits in their metabolism and even the structure of their bodies as a child. Childhood obesity is a big problem. But it's not just because of the way fat looks. It's a health problem as well. In fact a ticking time bomb. When I started in pediatrics not that long ago, it was rare to see some of the common conditions of middle age in children. Things like high blood pressure, or abnormal blood sugar, waist size over 40 inches, abnormal cholesterol. Those things were really rare in kids. But in a recent study, about two-thirds of American high schools students already had at least one of those. Two-thirds. They use to call something juvenile diabetes and there was adult onset diabetes, the kind that you get often from being overweight. Well now, what use to be adult onset diabetes, type 2 diabetes, is more common by age 9 because of the obesity epidemic. It is a ticking time bomb. The good news is that it's never easier than today to start to make a difference in a child's life.
Studies indicate children with obesity usually stay overweight into adulthood.
Why Exercise?
Children who exercise:
- Feel better about themselves
- Are more physically fit
- Have more energy
Other benefits of exercise for children are:
- A lower risk for heart disease and diabetes
- Healthy bone and muscle growth
- Staying at a healthy weight
Getting Started
Some kids enjoy being outside and active. Others would rather stay inside and play video games or watch TV. If your child does not like sports or physical activity, look for ways to motivate them. These ideas may help children become more active.
- Let children know that being active will give them more energy, make their bodies stronger, and make them feel better about themselves.
- Give encouragement for physical activity and help children believe they can do it.
- Be their role model. Start being more active if you are not already active yourself.
- Make walking a part of your family's daily routine. Get good walking shoes and rain jackets for the wet days. Do not let rain stop you.
- Go for walks together after dinner, before turning on the TV or playing computer games.
- Take your family to community centers or parks where there are playgrounds, ball fields, basketball courts, and walking paths. It is easier to be active when people around you are active.
- Encourage indoor activities such as dancing to your child's favorite music.
Find a Good Match
Organized sports and daily activities are good ways for your child to get exercise. You will have better success if you select activities that fit your child's preferences and abilities.
- Individual activities include swimming, running, skiing, or biking.
- Group sports are another option, such as soccer, football, basketball, karate, or tennis.
- Choose an exercise that works well for your child's age. A 6-year-old may play outside with other kids, while a 16-year-old may prefer to run at a track.
Daily activities can use as much, or more, energy than some organized sports. Some everyday things your child can do to be active include:
- Walk or bike to school.
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
- Ride a bike with family or friends.
- Take the dog for a walk.
- Play outside. Shoot a basketball or kick and throw a ball around, for instance.
- Play in the water, at a local pool, in a water sprinkler, or splashing in puddles.
- Dance to music.
- Skate, ice-skate, skateboard, or roller-skate.
- Do household chores. Sweep, mop, vacuum, or load the dishwasher.
- Take a family walk or hike.
- Play computer games that involve moving your whole body.
- Rake leaves and jump in the piles before bagging them up.
- Mow the lawn.
- Weed the garden.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Child activity: an overview.
Cooper DM, Bar-Yoseph Ronen, Olin JT, Random-Aizik S. Exercise and lung function in child health and disease. In: Wilmott RW, Deterding R, Li A, Ratjen F, et al, eds. Kendig's Disorders of the Respiratory Tract in Children. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2019:chap 12.
Gahagan S. Overweight and obesity. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, Shah SS, Tasker RC, Wilson KM, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 21st ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 60.
Version Info
Last reviewed on: 4/13/2023
Reviewed by: Stefania Manetti, RD/N, CDCES, RYT200, My Vita Sana LLC - Nourish and heal through food, San Jose, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team. Editorial update 02/24/2025.
