Child obesity and high screen time may have worsened during pandemic – experts

Children’s physical health has seen little improvement over the last decade, prompting fears the Covid pandemic has exacerbated existing socio-economic inequalities such as high levels of obesity, experts have found.

A report commissioned by the Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance (AHKGA) compared 57 countries from six continents, looking at trends in child and adolescent physical activity and produced a grading matrix.

This saw Scotland achieve a B- grade for community and environment, and sport and physical activity but F for Recreational Screen Time.

And children in Scotland face socio-economic inequalities in low physical activity, high levels of screen time and high levels of obesity as early as primary one, experts found.

Research found while policies on activity and diet are of a high quality, they are not always fully implemented and there is a lack of specific policy on screen time.

The report recommends that physical activity should be promoted early in life and often and ways to incorporate physical activity through active play and limited screen time should be promoted.

The study showed disparities between the most and least deprived areas of Scotland.

Just over half of children (53%) in the most deprived areas were found not to be engaging in sport, compared with 18% in the least deprived, while just 4% in the most deprived areas, compared with 19% in the least deprived, had been on outdoor excursions in the previous 12 months.

Half in the most deprived areas perceived their communities as safe, compared with 72% in the least deprived.

Experts have also recommended that more information should be collected on children under the age of five.

The University of Strathclyde has led on the study, with the Universities of Aberdeen, Glasgow, Stirling and Robert Gordon also involved.

While the full extent of the pandemic on the physical health and activity of children is not yet clear, there are concerning signs of increased screen time and childhood obesity, experts say.

Professor John Reilly, of Strathclyde’s School of Psychological Sciences & Health, said: “The Global Matrix 4.0 represents the largest compilation of information to date on levels of physical activity of children and adolescents, and the data show a failing grade across the world.

“Scotland is no exception, and things did not improve in the decade prior to Covid-19.”

Dr Farid Bardid, a Lecturer in Strathclyde’s School of Education, said: “This is particularly concerning as these low levels of physical activity and high levels of screen time may have worsened following the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The study concludes: “Despite a decade of favourable policy, physical activity and health of children and youth has not improved, and marked socioeconomic inequalities persist in Scotland.

“There is a clear need for greater monitoring of physical activity and health, and improved policy implementation and evaluation, particularly as many indicators and related inequalities may have worsened following the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The findings for Scotland have been published in the Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness.