Obesity is a major issue in the Netherlands. This month, new data revealed that over 100,000 adults are morbidly obese — the most severe form of overweight.
To prevent this number from rising, it’s important that young people stay active. Unfortunately, only 55% of children aged 4 to 12 met the recommended physical activity guidelines.
According to their parents, the main reasons are that sports are too expensive (28%), the child prefers other leisure activities (33%), or simply doesn’t want to play sports more often (27%).
Still, one-third of the children who are not members of a sports club say they actually do want to play sports.
More than 40% of parents don’t see themselves as active or sporty people — and children notice that: over half of kids in this age group (63%) think their parents don’t exercise enough.
Here are some interesting stats:
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82% of parents think it’s important that their child gets enough physical activity
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57% believe it’s important for their child to be a member of a sports club
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24% of parents require their child to do sports
How can you encourage a child to live healthily?
Be active yourself — a good example sets the tone! Make physical activity a regular part of daily life. Play outside together, or go for a family game of soccer after dinner.