Global study finds only 14% of teens meet daily exercise goals

Only 14 percent of adolescents worldwide reported getting at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise every day, according to a new study published in The Lancet Global Health. The report analyzed survey data from more than 3 million teenagers across 140 countries collected over the past 15 years. The World Health Organization recommends that teens spend at least one hour a day in activity intense enough to raise their heart rate, such as a brisk walk or a soccer game.

The findings show that one in four teens does not reach that 60 minute mark on any day of the week. Globally, the average adolescent reported fewer than three days of such activity per week. Fiona Bull, head of the physical activity unit at the World Health Organization and a co-author of the study, described the trends as flat over the last 15 years. She stated that the data serves as a call to reconsider current approaches, noting that business as usual will not change these trends.

The study identified a persistent gender gap in physical activity. Girls were less active than boys in virtually all countries examined. Nearly 30 percent of girls reported zero days of exercise during the week, compared to 22 percent of boys. Only 11 percent of girls were active daily, a rate lower than the 17 percent for boys. The weekly average for active days was also lower for girls at 2.4 days, compared to 3 days for boys.

Solveig Cunningham, a global health researcher at Emory University, warned that habits formed during adolescence often carry into adulthood. She noted that if a teen has a baseline of zero days of physical activity, that baseline is likely to persist. Cunningham pointed to cultural norms in places like India, where elders sometimes discourage girls from spending time outside after puberty. Concerns about skin darkening and marriage prospects can lead to restrictions on outdoor play, she explained.

Adolescents from lower and middle-income countries generally reported lower levels of activity than those in wealthier Western nations. Andrea Ramirez Varela, an epidemiologist at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, attributed this partly to the built environment. In many urban areas, she said, cities are not designed to be walkable, and parents may feel it is unsafe to let children travel independently. Air pollution in some urban centers also discourages outdoor exertion.

Varela noted that digital screens contribute to a sedentary lifestyle after school. She observed that when students arrive home, they often spend the rest of the day watching television or using other devices. The study did not break down the difference between urban and rural living, though Varela said some research suggests rural adolescents in lower-income countries move more out of necessity.

Experts suggest that schools offer a practical starting point for improving these statistics. Countries with higher levels of adolescent exercise tend to have more structured time for sports during or after the school day. Varela emphasized that moving the needle requires focusing on the settings where kids spend the most time. She added that not solving the problem in this stage of life will perpetuate the problem in adulthood, increasing the costs to society in terms of poor physical and mental health.