Couch Potatoes Can Start Young

Some children as young as 3 display a sedentary lifestyle that increases their risk of obesity later in life, says a study in the Jan. 17 issue of The Lancet.

Researchers measured the total energy expenditure (TEE), physical activity, and sedentary behavior of 78 3-year-old children and followed up with 72 of the children two years later.

The children's average physical activity levels indicated these young children had a sedentary lifestyle and, because of that, an increased risk of obesity. At 3 and 5 years, the children's TEE was much lower than the British estimated average requirement for energy, by about 200 calories per day.

The children in this study typically did only 20 to 25 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous physical activity. Present recommendations suggest that children need at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise each day.

"We have provided objective evidence that present recommendations for physical activity are not being met by many young children. Low levels of physical activity might have been predicted, but directly measured objective data have not been available, and there is a widespread perception among parents and health and educational professionals that young children are spontaneously active," lead researcher John J. Reilly, a specialist in developmental medicine at the University of Glasgow and Yorkhill Hospital, says in a prepared statement.

"Public health interventions are needed urgently, and these must involve population-based strategies that increase physical activity, reduce sedentary behavior, or both, in early life," Reilly says.

Read a PDF report on Child Obesity
"Public Health Crisis, Prevention as a Cure"

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