Greg Rutherford calls for children to spend more time playing outside
Greg Rutherford says children need to spend less time on screens and more time outdoors
Olympic champion Greg Rutherford is calling for children to spend more time playing outdoors, after new research found almost half of five-to-11-year-olds are not getting the recommended amount of daily physical activity.
The former long-jump champion, who is from Milton Keynes, is supporting a campaign calling for greater awareness of the importance of active play, nutrition and children’s bone health.
Research commissioned by Yoplait found 48% of children aged five to 11 are not meeting the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity each day.
Almost half of parents surveyed also said their child would rather stay indoors on a device than go outside to play.
The research found 58% of families have spent less time outdoors this year than last year, while children are spending an average of three hours less outside each week than their parents did at the same age.
Rutherford said the figures were “a real worry”, and called for children to be encouraged to experience the outdoors.
“We need to be encouraging kids to get outside. We need to be showing them the world,” he said.
The 2012 Olympic champion said the benefits of active play go beyond physical health, including helping children develop social skills and resilience.
He said activities such as running, playing tag and taking part in sport can teach children how to work as a team and deal with both winning and losing.
“It is about having a generation of children whose bones are strong, whose minds are strong, and the rest of their bodies can follow suit,” Rutherford said.
The research also highlighted gaps in parents’ understanding of children’s nutrition and bone health.
More than a third of children aged four to 11 are reportedly getting fewer than two portions of calcium-rich food a day, while only 51% of parents surveyed identified vitamin D as essential for strong bones.
Rutherford said he understood the pressures facing busy parents, but encouraged families to make time for outdoor activity where possible.