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Med J Aust 2000; 173 Suppl 7 August: S7-S8

Being physically active is the natural and preferred state for most children. We generally do not have to exhort them to be more active. However, contemporary life in urban communities conspires against the natural tendency of children to be active in two key ways. Professionals and parents need to be aware of and to take action against this "conspiracy of sedentariness". Firstly, we need to ensure that the environment provides enjoyable, safe opportunities for children to be active and does not distract them too often into stimulating, but sedentary, recreation. Secondly, we need to ensure that children develop the skills which are fundamental to rewarding participation in physical activity.

The environment
The modern environment promotes sedentariness in countless ways. Here are some of the things we can do to create an environment more supportive of healthy levels of physical activity:

• Manage the time children spend in front of television, videos and particularly computer games. Parents should feel comfortable about setting firm boundaries on this issue.

• Do your best to make sure that enjoyable activities are available as an alternative to sedentary recreation. Consider community clubs, teams and associations; encourage friends to visit and play; take children to a park, pool or beach; find somewhere safe for them to ride their bikes.

• Many more children are now driven to school (and other places) than was the case in the past, creating our contemporary "car culture". Parents often claim that the roads are too busy and dangerous to let their children walk, but a large proportion of morning and afternoon peak-hour traffic is made up of of parents driving the children around -- Catch 22! There are many things that can be done to make local communities safer, including "walking buses" (groups of children walk to school under the supervision of an adult), traffic-calming devices in local streets, cycle ways, and public transport.

• Consider the social environment as well. Parents being active themselves and encouraging and supporting their children's activity are some of the most powerful influences over children's behaviour.

Fundamental movement skills
The 1997 NSW Schools Fitness and Physical Activity Survey found that a surprisingly small proportion of children and adolescents had mastered fundamental movement skills like running, jumping, catching and throwing.²⁴ Children with poor fundamental skills will find participation less rewarding and are more likely to be subjected to ridicule, and this can discourage them from participating in sport or other activities for life.

Parents could assist greatly by spending more time playing with their children and teaching them fundamental skills, like catching and throwing. Schools are also addressing this issue. The NSW Department of Education and Training will introduce a program into primary schools during 2000 to support education in fundamental movement skills. The combination of skilled children who enjoy being active and an environment that both limits access to sedentary recreation and provides opportunities for children to be active is the best strategy.

Michael L Booth

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