The poor physical condition of children makes them more vulnerable to climatic variations.
- Lack of resistance to heat increases the risk of dehydration, cramps, exhaustion and heatstroke.
- In case of high temperatures, it is still necessary to avoid the hottest hours of the day to play sports, and to favor the morning or the evening.
The physical condition of children is deteriorating, and global warming should not help matters. According to a study published in the journal Temperature, physically fit people are better able to withstand high temperatures. But in recent years, the lack of physical activity among the youngest has worsened.
A lack of physical activity
Led by Dr Shawnda Morrison, an exercise and environmental physiologist at the Faculty of Sport at the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia, the research is based on the analysis of more than 150 scientific studies on physical exercise in children, and on their resistance to heat.
The first observation is that of the reduced physical form among the youngest. The aerobic capacity of children is 30% lower than that of their parents at the same age, notes the author. This data corresponds to the ability of the various organs to effectively transport oxygen to the muscles during physical effort. This decrease could be explained by the drop in physical activity of children, everywhere in the world, and particularly over the past 30 years. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that children do at least 1 hour of physical activity every day, but few young people follow this guideline.
The Covid-19 pandemic has worsened the situation, with the closure of schools, sports clubs and other associations. However, climate change could bring new diseases, and cause other periods of confinement, harmful for the youngest. At the same time, children are increasingly prone to weight problems. “The prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 has increased dramatically, from just 4% in 1975 to just over 18% in 2016″finds theWHO.
A more difficult adaptation to heat
This reduced physical form, compared to previous generations, weakens children in the event of heat peaks or heat waves. The sample of studies analyzed by the Slovenian researcher includes scientific work on 457 boys, aged 5 to 12, attending primary school in Thailand. These showed that overweight young people were more than twice as likely to have difficulty regulating their body temperature, compared to those with a normal weight, when they exercise indoors. ‘outside.
Among the other studies analyzed was research conducted in the United States on children’s hospital emergency department attendance. The data collected revealed that attendance was higher during the hottest days. “Rising temperatures could further restrict physical activity when parents of children deem outside temperatures ‘too hot to play’, making it harder for children in poor physical condition to meet minimum levels of physical activity necessary to maintain good healthfears Dr. Morrison.
However, she recalls that it is imperative that children be encouraged to practice daily physical activity to “develop and maintain their physical condition”. Outdoor family games, basketball, football, walking, sports lessons or roller skating: whichever one is chosen, the most important thing is that children learn to enjoy moving their bodies, without it being a chore.
