Less than half of Hong Kong children and youth do one-hour physical activities per day: research

A research has found that less than half of children and youth in Hong Kong met the international recommendation of doing one hour of physical activities per day.

The research team, formed by professors in the Chinese University of Hong Kong, has conducted Hong Kong's first comprehensive and systematic analysis of physical activities among children and youth.

The research, which was released Monday, shows that only around 30 percent of children and youth joined physical activities with their families once per week.

In view of the situation, the research team suggested that children and youth in Hong Kong increase physical activities.

In families, parents should encourage children and youth to participate in active play and organized sports to build up the habit of walking and reducing sedentary behaviors.

Parents should also accompany their children in participating in physical activities to reduce their reliance on electronic devices.

At school, apart from increasing the time spent on sports activities, teachers should reflect on the design of physical education lessons and make them more appealing to students to increase their engagement in sports, the team proposed. Endit