Health experts worried Aussie parents increasingly chauffeuring children

Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-29 11:01:23|Editor: Yurou
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CANBERRA, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- Australian health experts are "gravely concerned" about the growing trend of parents driving their children to and from school.

A study published by the Australian Health Policy Collaboration on Tuesday found that two thirds of five-year-olds and more than half of nine-year-olds are driven to school by their parents every day, making Australian children among the most chauffeured in the world.

The growing number of children being driven to school coincides with bicycle sales in Australia plummeting 28 percent since 2007.

Rosemary Calder, director of the Australian Health Policy Collaboration, said that Australia's reputation as a sporting nation was under threat if children continued to miss out on daily incidental exercise.

"Almost three million children and young people are not doing enough physical activity," Calder told Australian media on Tuesday.

"A coordinated approach to active travel to and from school will give 3.7 million school children access to healthy physical activity every day."

Just 7 percent of Australian children do their recommended one hour of exercise every day, a recent survey found.

More than 30 of Australia's leading health experts met on Tuesday at a round table event to discuss how best to get kids active during their school commute.

John Kelly, leader of the Australian Heart Foundation, said that failing to meet minimum daily exercise standards increased the risk of cancer, mental health issues and cardiovascular disease.

He said it was imperative that children are physically active every day.

"The daily trip to school is one of the best value investments we can make for their future health," Kelly said.

A report compiled by 70 of Australia's leading chronic disease experts late in 2016 identified active travel as one of 10 priority policy areas.

The report set a target of reducing the number of people who are not active by 10 percent by 2025.

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