Effects Of Physical Activity On Children 's Health

Physical activity is important to the short term and long term health and well being of children. In the short term physical activity helps children to build muscle, develops the skeletal frame, develops the heart and lung function and helps prevent obesity. If children have enough physical activity a day which is said to be up to an hour it can help children get to sleep easier and sleep for longer periods of time. This can lead onto long term benefits as if the activity is outside it will also help to build up a good immune system so they are less

Positive Physical Effects. The most tangible effects on children who play sports is the effects on children’s bodies. According to the author of the book ReSYNC Your Life, Samir Becic, kids are not as injury-prone when involved in athletics because sports help to boost a child’s skeletal and muscular system (“Top 10 Benefits of Youth Sports”). Not only does a healthy, uninjured child feel better, parents also save money by not having to go to the Emergency Room as often. In Becic’s eyes, fighting obesity by keeping kids moving is another positive influence of sports (“Top 10 Benefits of Youth Sports”). Obesity is an ever-growing problem in our society, and obesity leads to multiple different health issues including heart problems. Becic explains that playing sports as a child promotes a healthy heart, which ultimately suppresses the chance of heart disease (“Top 10 Benefits of Youth Sports”). These studies show that by participating in athletics as a child, that child is likely to see their physical health improve.

Physical activity has not only physical benefits. It also has a very big impact on social-emotional and cognitive aspects of child’s live. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “The development of a physically active lifestyle is a goal for all children. Traditional team and competitive sports may promote healthy activity for selected youth. Individual sports, noncompetitive sports, lifetime sports, and recreational activities expand the opportunity for activity to everyone. The opportunity to be active on a regular basis, as well as the enjoyment and competence gained from activity, may increase the chances that a physically active lifestyle will be adopted.”

This will impact on a child or young person’s intellectual development as they will be more alert and ready to learn, physical activity is also likely to encourage social and emotional development as schools will provide sports clubs and after school activities, giving children and young people the opportunity to socialise and progress in self-esteem.

Physical activity is an integral part of health and well being in children.Our bodies also require physical activity in order to be healthy.Understanding and supporting physical activity, will help children have the right foundation for a healthy and happy life.Positive experiences with physical activity at a young age promotes the growth if strong bones and muscles, help to develop good posture and balance, obesity risk and chronic disease risk infection are reduced.

Physical activity also has benefits for children's social and emotional development and cognitive development. These benefits include being part of a team and making friends through group sports, which have a major impact on social and emotional development. The effect of obesity on children is closely linked to many bad health habits such as diet, smoking and drug use which in turn can affect a child's academic performance (Goran et al., 1999). Physical activity, if encouraged at a young age, can reduce the likelihood of children developing these behaviours and focus on their academic performance and cognitive development. As children in this age range are in their fundamental development stage, it is important that educators and parents alike, teach children about the importance of physical activity at a young age in order to prevent health and social well-being problems in their adult years.

Since 1990s, many scientists agree that exercise has positive impacts on people’s physical health and mental health (SIME WE, 1987). From Morgan and O’Connor’s research, people can reduce stress and state anxiety by doing physical activities; also gain emotional pleasure from the process (Morgan and O’Connor, 1988). Later in 1997, Landers states that physical activities can reduce people depression after weeks of regular and routine exercise. In addition, people can benefit from more

According to Stephen Meyer in his article titled “Sports and Health,” “By comparison, less than 5% of students aged six to 12 years who received at least some physical education at school reported that they had not participated in any physical activity. These statistics show no fundamental change among students aged 13 to 17 years”. That is telling us that if they start at a young age it makes them more physical and healthier than a normal kid even later in

In 2008, 30.2% of youth ages 6 to 12 were active to a healthy level through sports(“Facts”). This shows that some kids are getting the minimum amount of physical activity. To raise this level, all kids should include sports in their daily life. All kids should be engaged in sports. Regular activity is required for good health and high school athletes are more likely to attend college.

Physical activity is essential for children; therefore sport participation has many physical benefits for youths (Willox, 1994). In the United States there is a very unhealthy trend of physically unfit children going on. According to a recent study by the Harvard School of Public Health seven out of ten kids in our nation are out of shape and the incidence of obesity has increased by more than 50 percent among America's children and teen since 1976 and continues to grow at a staggering rate (Metzel & Shookhoff, 2006). When children participate in sports activities they get some of the exercise they need to improve their quality of life and can help prevent children from becoming obese. Physical activity regulates obesity because it increases energy expenditure, suppresses appetite, increases metabolic rate, and increases lean body mass (Willox, 1994). Even though regular physical sport activity has been shown to improve physical fitness, it can also help in preventing many different health problems down the line that youths who participate in sports are more likely not to develop than youths who do not participate in sports. Women who participated in organized sport and fitness programs as

High school sports also has a benefit to an athlete's physical health. Today’s teens are exposed to a great amount of entertainment avenues such as television, video games, and other media devices. These things allow teens to be lazy. Young people generally get less physical activity as they get older. By being physically active it can help prevent obesity. The experience of sports, exercise, and kinesthetic activities helps boost teens’ bodies. Involvement in sporting activities keeps teens moving and and keeps them engaged physically which is vital for their overall health and

Regular participation and involvement in physical activity (i.e. running) contributes to good health. Individuals who participate and involve in fitness have a lower risk of developing mental health conditions. For individuals from ages 5-17 years, it is recommended to participate in physical activity for at least 60 minutes a day. Regular physical activity results to increased physical fitness, reduced body fat, enhanced bone and cardiovascular health, and reduced mental conditions such as depression and anxiety. Regular activity participation leads to improved cognitive functions and self-esteem. Children who are active through sport are usually more physically active in adulthood compared to individuals who don’t participate in childhood sport. Physical activity also results to the individuals increase in interpersonal skills which can result to one’s increase in self-esteem.

It is believed that infants who are earlier active tend to be proactive later in life. Many studies have suggested that it is acceptable for infants who are stimulated earlier in life to remain stimulus in early childhood, late childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. It is also understood that perceived competence of physical activity within early childhood determine whether or not a child will remain physically active in their adolescence years. Within the Adolescence, it is common to see boys and girls stop participating in sports. It is believe that the discontinuation may be caused by the body going through changes, lost of interest in sports, unable to compete at the same level as their friends, peer-pressure and many other facts. When a child continues to be physically active in their late childhood and into adolescence, it is concluded that they would live an active adult life.

As an adolescent, I personally enjoy being involved in sports which is inclusive of physical activity. The teenage years are important in terms of both mental and physical development, and staying fit during adolescence can have benefits that are both physical and psychological. Good or poor fitness habits that a teenager develops during his or her adolescence are likely to last a lifetime, and studies have shown that exercise can be beneficial to a teen 's overall health while also promoting a positive body image.

“Regular participation in physical activity (PA) is important to sustaining good health and has been a topic of investigation since the acknowledgment of the obesity epidemic throughout the last 30 years” (Ferkel 218). Health is an issue of excessive significance to the American society, and one of the factors that influence it is the practice of sports and physical activities. Sports are an essential base to maintain and better teenagers’ health; in addition, sports help to conserve an appropriate physical condition.