SPARC Announces Physical Activity Guidelines for Children and Young People
SPARC (Sport & Recreation New Zealand) today announced newly adopted physical activity guidelines for children and young people (ages 5-18). Most notably, the guidelines recommend that throughout each day, children and young people need at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity for improved physical and mental health.
New Zealand is one of the first five nations in the world to officially adopt physical activity guidelines for children and young people, affirming its role as an international leader in promoting and supporting the health and well-being of Kiwi children and teenagers.
SPARC, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education, in consultation with the Ministry of Youth Development, developed the guidelines in response to mounting international evidence. The evidence has consistently shown the need to develop specific physical activity guidelines for children and young people in order to gain health benefits, as well as providing direction about what the minimum levels of physical activity should be.
“The evidence on this topic is relatively new, but overwhelming,” said Deb Hurdle, SPARC’s Push Play Manager. “Increased physical activity levels in children and young people lead to improved physical and mental health. Put simply, children and young people who are active are healthier.”
The guidelines, which define moderate activity as the equivalent of a brisk walk, and vigorous activity as one that causes people to ‘huff and puff’, will assist in the design and evaluation of health and lifestyle programmes from a variety of agencies, including SPARC, that target the need for physical activity in children and young people in New Zealand.
For example, in the next week schools will receive copies of Physical Activity for Healthy, Confident Kids: guidelines for sustainable physical activity in schools. These guidelines have been developed by the Ministry of Education in partnership with SPARC and will support school communities to consider their physical activity culture and practices. Accompanying these will be a set of online appendices (www.tki.org.nz/health) for teachers to consider “how to” when teaching physical education and physical activity.
The physical activity guidelines state that children and young people should:
throughout each day, do 60 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity;
be active in as many ways as possible; for example, through play, cultural activities, dance, sport and recreation, jobs, and going from place to place;
be active with friends and whÄÂnau, at home, school, and in the community; and
spend less than two hours a day (out of school time) in front of television, computers and game consoles.
“Young New Zealanders should be active in as many ways as possible,” said Hurdle. “And the opportunities to be active are virtually limitless. Whether it’s through play, dance, sport, cultural activities or walking to and from school or work, physical activity is an integral part of every child and teenager’s development, and should be provided for in their daily life within and outside the school environment.”
The guidelines for children and young people in New Zealand are in addition to the current guidelines for adults, which have been in place since 1996. Physical activity guidelines for adults -- at least 30 minutes per day, five days per week -- have not changed.
SPARC is the Crown entity responsible for promoting, encouraging and supporting sport and physical recreation in New Zealand. For more details, visit www.sparc.org.nz .