Some good news and bad news has come out of the U.K.’s University of Bristol when it comes to physical activity after COVID.
According to a new study, which was published in the journal International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition & Physical Activity, kids in the U.K. are actually more sedentary now than they were during the pandemic.
In fact, they’re spending some 13 minutes longer per week on their duffs or in bed than they were in the days of social distancing, the researchers contend.
By last summer, just 41% were getting the recommended amount of an hour’s worth of “moderate-to-vigorous” activity — that’s activity that leaves a person sweaty and out of breath from exertion.
While that’s up from the 37% during the pandemic, it’s still not enough, especially considering they’re spending more time per week not doing anything at all.
Overall, nearly six in 10 kids were deemed not active enough after they got to ditch their masks, the researchers said.
Russ Jago, the university’s professor of physical activity and public health, said it’s “encouraging” that kids are at about their pre-pandemic activity levels, but “children’s increased sedentary time during the week has persisted, which is an area of concern for policy makers, schools, and parents.”
On the other hand, the parents of the kids in the study were also clocked with accelerometers, and they have apparently taken their lockdown pledges to better themselves seriously. According to the study, adults in the U.K. have been getting eight more minutes of vigorous activity on the weekend than they did before the pandemic.