Most Irish teenagers are couch potatoes, says survey

IT’S official — most Irish teenagers are couch potatoes who don’t exercise enough. A Dublin City University survey of 940 students shows 65% of them admit it too.

More girls than boys are leading sedentary lifestyles, with 70% of girls compared with 58% of boys not exercising regularly.

The survey of those aged between 15 and 17 also highlighted the crucial role parents play in getting children physically active. Adolescents were more likely to be regularly active if their physical endeavours were supported and encouraged by parents.

And children who got good peer support were also more likely to be active than the ones who didn’t.

The study was published to coincide with the Irish Heart Foundation’s Irish Heart Week, which will emphasise the need for young people to be physically active for one hour every day.

Medical director of the Irish Heart Foundation, Dr Vincent Maher, said the majority of adolescents who admitted they didn’t exercise enough were storing up serious health problems for the future. The study also found one in four children was either overweight or obese, a problem that was likely to get worse with time.

The study also showed that there was a big decline in physical activity between the ages of 15 and 17 and over the past five years.

Dr Maher said the study on the Health Behaviours of Schoolchildren in 1998 and repeated in 2002 initially found that 54% of children were engaged in some form of physical activity outside school, a figure that dropped to 49% last year.

For more information on Irish Heart Week contact 1850 364 364 or visit www.irishheart.ie.