Canberra, Feb 19 (IANS) A quarter of Australia’s adolescents are either overweight or obese, a new health survey revealed Thursday.
The report, tabled by Australia’s Cancer Council and National Heart Foundation, found that more than a quarter of Australia’s teenage boys and a fifth of all female students were classified as overweight across the country, reported Xinhua.
According to the chair of the Cancer Council’s Public Health Committee, Craig Sinclair, a lack of encouragement for physical exercise throughout schools is one of the main reasons for the increase in weight issues.
The dramatic rise in computer games was also identified as a possible reason, with 58 percent of students having at least three televisions at their house, while 40 percent have video game consoles in their rooms.
“The vast majority of adolescents, 82 percent, are not engaging in more than 60 minutes of physical activity per day as is what is recommended,” Sinclair told The ABC.
“As a parent myself, I know the challengers of managing electronic devises in the home and it’s not easy.”