Identification of types and levels of physical activity throughout childhood for healthy growth and development

Article title: Identification of types and levels of physical activity throughout childhood for healthy growth and development.

Researchers at Anglia Ruskin University’s Cambridge Centre for Sport and Exercise Sciences undertook a literature review into the levels of physical development in children that relates to the level/type of movements and exercise that should be advised for three age groups, on behalf of Start-Rite Shoes.

Through conducting the review, they found that for children aged 6-10 years old:

  • Government guidelines state that from the age of 5+ children and young people should engage with an average of at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day.
  • The World Health Organisation (WHO) suggests that 3 sessions of physical activity per week should be vigorous activity, which focuses on strengthening muscle and bone.
  • Children who meet these physical activity guidelines were shown to have greater wellbeing scores, are fitter and carry these benefits into later life.
  • Higher levels of physical activity and fitness were also linked to better metabolic health and increased gross motor competence.
  • Another key benefit of physical activity in children is the positive effect on bone mineral density which is important for healthy ageing.
  • Organised school activities, such as The Daily Mile, and play times are key periods for physical activity for children.
  • Children’s cardiovascular fitness was found to decrease, and body mass index (BMI) increase, following summer holidays.

In addition, they found that for young children aged 0-5 years old:

  • Children aged 3-4 years old engage in an average of 3 hours of physical activity per day, 2 hours of which is classified as MVPA.
  • Increased physical activity in this age group shows a positive relationship with cardiometabolic health and bone mineral density, plus a negative relationship with obesity.

They conclude that physical activity has been shown to have positive mental health benefits – in children as young as 6-years old – when the guideline 60-minute per day (on average) across a week, with three sessions of MVPA, are met. It is particularly interesting that in studies of children, where activity has been objectively measured, less than 10% of children are meeting these guidelines. School play times, organised sports and physical activity, and activities which include family members are suggested to be key to increasing the levels of physical activity in children. Across all age groups, it is accepted that positive experiences of physical activity in childhood has lifelong positive effects on mental health and wellbeing.

For more information, download the full report.

Miles of Smiles

Hear all about the Miles of Smiles run at Cubitt Town Junior School, London, and the history of The Daily Mile!

The #Find15 campaign is part of a long-term partnership between Start-Rite Shoes and The Daily Mile which aims to improve children’s foot health, personal wellbeing and fitness.

Marvellous Mile

Watch our Marvellous Mile video to hear what teachers have to say about how The Daily Mile can improve children’s physical and mental health and wellbeing.

The #Find15 campaign is part of a long-term partnership between Start-Rite Shoes and The Daily Mile which aims to improve children’s foot health, personal wellbeing and fitness.

A Mile in our Shoes

 

Get a 360-degree view of a class at Cubbit Town Junior School as they take on The Daily Mile in their film ‘A Mile In Our Shoes’!

The #Find15 campaign is part of a long-term partnership between Start-Rite Shoes and The Daily Mile which aims to improve children’s foot health, personal wellbeing and fitness.

Press Release: Start-Rite Shoes and The Daily Mile calls for families to #Find15 this half-term as new report reveals 9 in 10 primary school aged children are not meeting their exercise needs

START-RITE SHOES AND THE DAILY MILE CALLS FOR FAMILIES TO #Find15 THIS HALF-TERM AS NEW REPORT REVEALS 9 IN 10 PRIMARY SCHOOL AGED CHILDREN ARE NOT MEETING THEIR EXERCISE NEEDS

New scientific research¹ reveals a decrease in children’s fitness and an increase in body mass index following school holidays and raises concerns over the lack of information available to parents around children’s activity requirements.

The report found less than 10% of primary aged children (5+ years) are meeting the Government guidelines of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day, and limited information to support parents on the required intensity or duration of bouts.

It also suggests parents should not assume organised team sports provide sufficient levels of physical activity, revealing that only 25% of time spent doing these sports is at the cardio level needed to strengthen muscle and bone, which is key to healthy ageing.

As we face more stringent lockdown measures, this half term, Start-Rite Shoes and The Daily Mile are calling for parents to start a routine of 15 minutes cardio exercise as a family, at least three times a week to help keep their children fit and active while away from school.

The #Find15 campaign is part of a new and exciting partnership between Start-Rite Shoes and The Daily Mile, supported by INEOS. It aims to improve children’s health, personal well-being and fitness while at home.

The extensive literature review of scientific research, undertaken by the Cambridge Centre for Sport and Exercise Sciences at Anglia Ruskin University¹, comes as 25% of primary aged children are found to be obese. It identifies the type and level of physical activity necessary by children’s age and stage of development, and guidance on how to get the most benefit from 15 minutes exercise. The findings will be shared with guardians, parents, teachers and children in a bid to enhance The Daily Mile’s impact in schools across the world.

Founder of The Daily Mile, Elaine Wyllie MBE, said: “For complex reasons it can be hard for children to do enough physical activity at home. #Find15 makes it easy for parents to get their children active because it’s quick, everyone can do it and it’s completely free. Families will enjoy spending time together outdoors in the fresh air and at the same time improving their physical and mental health.”

The report which represents Start-Rite Shoes and The Daily Mile Foundation’s shared interest in providing parents with research-backed advice, also found that interventions to increase physical activity which involved other family members are more likely to be successful. A previous proprietary report from Start-Rite² found 65% of primary aged children would like to exercise with their parents or carers.

Kate Tansley, Start-Rite CEO, added: “We are excited to be partnering with The Daily Mile which is an established authority on the benefits of childhood exercise. We know that children who are physically active reap mental health benefits, have been shown to be fitter and carry the benefits of physical activity into later life. Previous research told us how much children love to exercise with their parents or carers, so we hope this campaign will encourage more families, to enjoy 15 minutes of fast paced physical activity, on a daily basis together.”

About the Campaign – #Find15 encourages all families to incorporate 15 minutes of self-paced physical activity (walking, jogging or running) into daily life, so all can experience the benefits of regular exercise together. By focusing on a 15 minute duration, rather than on the distance, it keeps the activity non-competitive, social, and inclusive – everyone can take part at their own pace, regardless of age, ability or personal circumstance.

How to #Find15 with Start-Rite and The Daily Mile – To take part families should:

  • Head outside into the fresh air and aim to walk at a quick pace for approximately 15 minutes.
  • During this 15 minutes, undertake activities that will continually increase your heart rate reserve by 60%, this will include a brisk walk, jog or run.
  • Tips for getting the most out of your 15 minutes:
    • Aim to feel out of breath for most of the time and to feel your heart beating faster than usual.
    • On day one, decide on an activity or destination and keep a record of how fast or how long you managed to do it. Do the same for three days and watch your results improve.
    • Set a timer on your phone. This will help little ones to stay motivated as they see the stop watch ticking away.

Why #Find15 with Start-Rite Shoes and The Daily Mile –

  • 11,590+ schools across 79 countries are signed up to take part in The Daily Mile and witness the benefits to their pupils.
  • The Daily Mile³ helps children be more active and less sedentary and significantly increases their fitness levels. The Daily Mile improves children’s body composition by reducing body fat and has a positive impact on body mass index in girls.
  • Children report feeling happier, more awake, calmer and have better self-esteem after doing The Daily Mile and improves attitudes towards physical activity.
  • The Daily Mile increases children’s alertness and can help increase verbal memory – these skills enhance children’s ability to learn. The Daily Mile helps children’s attention, focus and concentration in class and its social nature supports children to work better together.

Join the campaign on social media using #Find15. Read more about the campaign at www.startriteshoes.com/feet-are-fantastic/start-rite-and-the-daily-mile and www.thedailymile.co.uk/find-15/, and for more ideas on getting the most out of The Daily Mile at Home head to www.thedailymile.co.uk/at-home/.

ENDS.

 

Media contacts

Vista PR for Start-Rite Shoes: Lucy Reeves – lar@vistapublicrelations.com – 07979 853 910

MediaZoo for The Daily Mile Foundation: Chris Hall chris.hall@mediazoo.tv – 07739 571 634

 

References

  1. The research report, Identifying Types and Levels of Physical Activity Throughout Childhood for Healthy Growth and Development, was undertaken by the Cambridge Centre for Sport and Exercise Sciences at Anglia Ruskin University on behalf of Start-Rite Shoes September 2020.
  2. Research was conducted by CHILDWISE in schools, with children aged 7-11 (School years 3 to 6). The questionnaire was administered online, and completed under teacher supervision. A total of 612 children took part, from 16 schools across England. The sample covered boys and girls, with schools selected to give a good geographical spread. Fieldwork took place during February and March 2016.
  3. Information and research on the benefits of The Daily Mile activity on children’s health visit www.thedailymile.co.uk/research

#EliudsMile

We’re delighted to introduce a fun, new ONE DAY challenge for schools called #EliudsMile!

Today, we’re celebrating the day our Daily Mile Ambassador, Eliud Kipchoge, made history – by running the first ever marathon under two hours. In taking part in the INEOS 1:59 Challenge last year, he wanted to show the world that #NoHumanIsLimited, and inspire them to get running!

Eliud says, “a running world is a happy world”, and we agree! We’re hoping to run 25,000 miles around the world together and we’d love your help. To get your school involved, simply visit the Eliud’s Mile website and share what distance you would like to pledge to walk, jog or run on Monday 12th October. Or, log the distance you ended up doing. It’s that easy!

Join the challenge: https://www.eliudsmile.com

 

Press Release: One million primary school children signed up to run The Daily Mile in England

ONE MILLION PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN SIGNED UP TO RUN THE DAILY MILE IN ENGLAND

One in five primary schools in England have registered for The Daily Mile, an initiative that encourages children to run or jog for 15 minutes every day.

The findings, from researchers at Imperial College London, University College London and the University of Cambridge, and published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, suggest the scheme has been particularly popular in urban and deprived areas and could be reaching over one million children in 3,502 primary schools across England.

The initiative was launched in Scotland in 2012 by headteacher Elaine Wyllie MBE as an initiative to incorporate activity in the school day. The Daily Mile encourages children to run or jog, for 15 minutes, at their own pace, every day.

Today (5th October) is World Teachers’ Day.

The research was funded by the NIHR School for Public Health Research as well as The Daily Mile Foundation, supported by INEOS.

Tishya Venkatraman, first author of the research from Imperial’s School of Public Health, said: “Currently less than half of children and young people in the UK meet the recommendation of an average of 60 minutes of physical activity daily. Our results are encouraging as they suggest one in five schools have registered for The Daily Mile initiative, which builds activity into the school day. The Daily Mile can be carried out at safe social distances, which makes it suitable for our current times.”

Venkatraman added: “It is reassuring that previously hard to reach groups, like those schools in deprived urban postcodes, and those with large pupil numbers, are just as likely to sign up to The Daily Mile as other schools. This is important because so often wide roll-out of health policies and interventions can in some cases act to widen health disparities – especially interventions that depend on individuals voluntarily changing their behaviour. Health behaviour is not always a choice, especially for children who do not always have control over when they are allowed to be active. Teachers say the appeal of The Daily Mile is its simplicity and adaptability which is reflected in its widespread uptake.”

The study included all state funded primary schools in England from 2012-2018. It is the first national study to characterise primary school uptake of a whole school-based physical activity intervention. The study suggested The Daily Mile appears to be reaching more disadvantaged primary school populations in urban areas where obesity prevalence is highest. The Daily Mile registered schools include those with both high and low educational attainment, and are in areas with high and low physical activity. The initiative had been popular in most geographical regions across the country.

The researchers add there was significant variation in registration to The Daily Mile by local authority, which is in keeping with other research that has found that some local authorities to be actively promoting The Daily Mile. The research team explained their data only shows the number of schools that registered for the initiative and does not give an indication of whether the schools continued to participate.

Elaine Wyllie MBE, Founder of The Daily Mile, said: “I’m so pleased that this new research highlights the social reach of The Daily Mile. It demonstrates how children in all areas of the country are enjoying the benefits it brings and on a scale which can help to address the health inequality gap faced by disadvantaged children. All children, regardless of their circumstances, are given free access to an enjoyable and sustainable physical activity which impacts positively on their health and wellbeing. The sheer simplicity of The Daily Mile helps to remove barriers to participation in physical activity and it can be introduced easily in any school, anywhere in the country, with no child left behind. On a national scale, this can address many pressing needs around children’s health across the UK.”

A related study, launched this month, will track the impact of The Daily Mile initiative across all Greater London primary schools. Called the iMprOVE study, the research is one of the largest evaluations of its kind to monitor the impact of The Daily Mile on children’s physical activity, health and wellbeing over their primary school years.

Professor Sonia Saxena, senior author of the study and head of the Child Health Unit at Imperial added: “It’s important to ensure children get regular classroom breaks to reduce the spread of COVID-19, as well as benefit from getting the chance to be physically active after these long months of lockdown. Physical activity is crucial for children’s physical and mental health, and The Daily Mile could be a much needed scheme for helping children stay well throughout the pandemic.”

ENDS.

 

Media contacts

Imperial College London: Kate Wighton k.wighton@imperial.ac.uk – 07803 886 248

MediaZoo for The Daily Mile Foundation: Chris Hall chris.hall@mediazoo.tv – 07739 571 634

The Daily Mile is reaching over one million children, particularly in urban and deprived areas of England

Article title: Sociodemographic profiles, educational attainment and physical activity associated with The Daily Mile registration in primary schools in England: a national cross-sectional linkage study.

Tishya Venkatraman and researchers at Imperial College London, University College London and the University of Cambridge conducted research exploring the uptake of The Daily Mile across England and the characteristics of schools who register for the programme.

By linking national datasets they found that:

  • One in five schools in England is registered to do The Daily Mile
  • Daily Mile schools have a higher proportion of disadvantaged children and are located in urban areas
  • There is no association between Daily Mile registered schools and area-based physical activity levels, excess weight status, or schools’ educational attainment

From this they conclude that The Daily Mile appears to be a wide-reaching intervention (over one million children), that is reaching more disadvantaged primary school populations in urban areas, where physical activity levels are lowest, and obesity prevalence is highest.

A related study, launched this month, will track the impact of The Daily Mile initiative across all Greater London primary schools. Called the iMprOVE study, the research is one of the largest evaluations of its kind to monitor the impact of The Daily Mile on children’s physical activity, health and wellbeing over their primary school years.

Tishya Venkatraman, Imperial College London: “Currently less than half of children and young people in the UK meet the recommendation of an average of 60 minutes of physical activity daily. Our results are encouraging as they suggest one in five schools have registered for The Daily Mile initiative, which builds activity into the school day. The Daily Mile can be carried out at safe social distances, which makes it suitable for our current times.”

Professor Sonia Saxena, Head of the Child Health Unit at Imperial College London: “It’s important to ensure children get regular classroom breaks to reduce the spread of COVID-19, as well as benefit from getting the chance to be physically active after these long months of lockdown. Physical activity is crucial for children’s physical and mental health, and The Daily Mile could be a much needed scheme for helping children stay well throughout the pandemic.”

Read the full article online, published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health on 2nd October 2020.