21 May - Health - Research reveals inactive children are sick children

In today's show, we spoke to Professor Hans de Ridder - Director of the School of Biokinetics, Recreation and Sport Science at the North-West University. He was telling us more about Professor Andries Monyeki’s latest research highlighting that inactive children are sick children. According to the research, children who walk less than ten thousand steps per day run health risks to be diagnosed with chronic diseases such as obesity, high blood pressure, cholesterol or type 2 diabetes. It also reveals that most South African children currently find themselves in a critical stage of inactivity and he reckons that South Africa has, after America and Britain, the third highest obesity figure in the world. Monyeki’s ongoing 5-year follow-up research project that specifically focuses on the health and physical fitness activities of 14 year-old children started in 2010 and entails 310 high school learners being tested every year to ascertain whether an active lifestyle is lacking, and if so, what can be done to develop it positively. The children undergo various tests, questionnaires, various measurements with a pedometer a device that measures the number of steps per day respiratory measurements and general fitness tests.