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The current recommendation for activity in children is at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) daily. Investigators in the U.S. used accelerometers (a monitor worn around the waist to record the amount of time and energy expended daily) to measure physical activity in a group of 1032 children (50% boys, 77% white, 25% from low-income families) for 1 week each year from ages 9 to 15 years.
At age 9, children averaged 3 hours (180 minutes) of MVPA daily on weekdays and weekends. At age 15, average daily MVPA was 49 minutes on weekdays and 35 minutes on weekends; only 31% of children met activity guidelines on weekdays and 17% on weekends. By age 15, boys averaged only 58 minutes and girls averaged only 39 minutes o…