Research
Research uncovers worrying child fitness levels
Research highlighting worrying falls in child fitness
levels grabbed the national headlines leading up to Christmas.
The study by Dr Gavin Sandercock, of the Department of Biological
Sciences, found that children’s fitness levels in the UK were falling at
twice the global average rate, regardless of obesity.
While around the world, fitness is falling at about four per cent a
decade among youngsters, the UK rate is eight per cent, the research
found.
The findings, published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, were
based on more than 600 ten-year-olds whose weight (BMI) and
cardiorespiratory fitness were assessed in 1998 and 2008 in Chelmsford.
Over the decade, the girls’ BMI did not change, but average weight among
the boys rose slightly.
But cardiorespiratory fitness levels fell significantly in both boys
(seven per cent) and girls (nine per cent) over the decade, equivalent
to a 0.8 per cent average rate of decline. Based on global trends, the
authors predicted a 0.4 per cent fall.
Their findings back up previous research, which indicates that English
children’s cardiorespiratory fitness is falling at twice the predicted
global average rate.
Dr Sandercock said in terms of children’s health, cardiorespiratory
fitness may be more important than BMI because fitness lessens the
chances of the serious health problems and death associated with
obesity.
‘Measurement of BMI alone may not be sufficient to monitory children’s
future health, as health benefits associated with higher
cardiorespiratory fitness are independent of BMI,’ he added.
Lynne’s blog explores the world of work
The world of work is explored
in a new website established by Lynne Pettinger from the Department of
Sociology and Dawn Lyon from the University of Kent.
No Way to Make a Living
invites
contributions from anyone interested in sharing their thoughts and
experiences of work in words, pictures or video and hopes to generate
discussion and exchange on what work, paid or unpaid, is like in
today’s world.
Lynne Pettinger
Lynne, who received some funding from the University
to help set up the site, said its main purpose was to create a forum
that would help academics break free of the more traditional academic
forms of publishing: ‘The website allows us to post images and sounds,
and different kinds of text, from the analytical to the fictional.
It permits quick fire exchanges of ideas about current events and
works in progress. And it’s not just for academics. We get lots of
sociological inspiration from the work of artists and
photographers, journalists and commentators, from films, songs
and TV programmes, as well as people going about their everyday
routines.’
Lynne and Dawn are looking for
contributors to the site which can be found at
www.nowaytomakealiving.net.
Also in the printed January edition of Wyvern:
- Getting kids back in touch with nature
- Iron controls Atlantic nitrogen fixation
- Bookshelf
- How green is your house?
- World-class team survey team receives £23.9m funding boost
