German children and young people clearly demonstrate less movement than individuals of the same age in many other countries. This is seen in the worldwide investigation by the Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance, which today issued a "movement certification" to approximately 50 countries. The German participation was coordinated at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). Germany is participating for the first time in this initiative, which was founded in 2014 by Canadian scientists.
A team of nine research institutes, under the direction of Yolanda Demetriou, Assistant Professor for Educational Science in Sport and Health at the TUM, evaluated scientific studies and such other sources as the national ministries. Active Healthy Kids Germany was supported by the Schwenninger health insurance company and the foundation of "healthy workers". The group assigned grades for eight different fields, according to the criteria of the international initiative.
Three times with a grade of D-: Germany is behind the Netherlands and England
Germany only received a grade of D- in the categories of "overall physical activity altogether", the "sedentary behavior" and in "active play". Only about 20 percent of the children and the young people achieve at least one hour of moderate or intensive physical activity per day, which is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). 80 percent sit longer than two hours in front of the television, looking at computers or their mobile phones, and fewer than one quarter play actively for several hours. Only about 40 percent go to school on foot or with their bicycle – for which Germany received a grade of C-.
Children and young people in other countries are clearly more active. The results are particularly good in such African countries as Zimbabwe, Ghana and South Africa. Many European countries, like the Netherlands and England, perform better as well, while the best value worldwide goes to Slovenia.
Clubs, schools, families and municipalities offer a great deal
Germany, however, gets good grades with regard to basic conditions, which are offered as organized sport, or from the school, family and municipalities: 70 percent of the children and the young people are members of a sports club and, at school, sport is scheduled twice weekly. Two-thirds of the parents are physically active regularly and thereby act as a role-model, and most cities and communities offer a sufficient number of playgrounds, parks and bicycle paths.
However, other countries are also better in these fields. For example, in Denmark, Canada and Sweden, most children and young people are in sport clubs. In Nepal and Slovenia, adults move most frequently. In Sweden and Australia the equipment of the municipalities is best.
With its certification, Germany stands in the upper third in the international comparison. Slovenia gets the best grades, followed by Nepal, Japan and Denmark.
"A high risk for civilization diseases"
"Three times only scarcely better than unsatisfactory - Germany is at risk of not fulfilling the demands," says the head of the study Yolanda Demetriou. "Especially for children, movement is incredibly important. A child who moves too little, has a high risk of also moving too little as an adult. That again favors the emergence of such civilization diseases as adiposity, cardiac infarction or apoplexy. In Germany, physical inactivity is the fifth-most frequent cause of death." Why children and young people are active so little, despite the good basic conditions, will continue to be examined further by the scientists at the TUM.
One brochure from Active Healthy Kids Germany presents not only the German results, but also clues for movement games and physical activity in the daily routine. In the future, the certification will be issued every two years.
Partners of Active Healthy Kids Germany are scientists at the following facilities: Technical University of Munich, Goethe University Frankfurt, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology, Heidelberg University of Education, Robert Koch Institute, Technical University of Chemnitz, Westphalian Wilhelm University Münster.
More information:
Movement certification for Germany
Brochure of the Active Healthy Kids Germany
Worldwide ratings "Global matrix 3.0"
Contact:
Professor Dr. Yolanda Demetriou Technical University of Munich
Professorship of Sport and Health Pedagogics
Georg-Brauchle-Ring 60/62
80992 Munich
Tel.: 089 289 24686
Email: yolanda.demetriou(at)tum.de
Text: Klaus Becker/Dr. Fabian Kautz
Photo: TUM