Most young children in Taiwan need to engage in more physical activity to promote healthy development, a government-funded survey released yesterday said.
A research team focusing on early childhood development funded by the National Science and Technology Council released its latest survey at a news conference.
The team, led by professor Chang Chien-ju (張鑑如) of National Taiwan Normal University’s Department of Family and Child Science, has been conducting a long-term study on children aged three to eight, analyzing the development of their physical mobility and motor skills.
Photo: CNA
The WHO and the Ministry of Health and Welfare recognize that regular exercise promotes children’s growth, benefiting their muscular and skeletal systems and motor development, Chang said.
Insufficient physical activity could lead to delays in development, affecting motor skills, attention span and even cognitive development, she said.
The team tracked 1,175 children aged three to six and 2,365 children aged seven to eight.
It found that on average, boys were better than girls in terms of gross motor skills, while girls outperformed boys in fine motor skills, Chang said.
While children in the age group have physical education (PE) classes at elementary school, the classes amount to only 80 minutes per week, Chang said.
The survey found that 20 percent of children aged seven to eight do not exercise regularly, she said.
In addition, less than 20 percent of children met the standard seven hours of weekly exercise recommended by the WHO, compared with 42 percent in the US, she said.
Only about 30 percent of children participate in moderate to high-intensity exercise, such as swimming, basketball or running, compared with 63 percent in Japan, she added.
In addition to regular exercise, doing household chores could help children with their physical development, Chang said, adding that mopping the floor or taking out the trash could help with gross motor skills, while wiping the table or folding clothes could help with fine motor skills.
Frequently taking children to the park, visiting markets or doing puzzles could also help with their development, she added.
“If parents exercise, children usually follow suit,” Chang said.
Chang stressed the importance of gender-equal development and diverse learning environments.
Schools could increase the amount of time spent in PE classes and encourage students to participate in clubs and after-school activities, she said.
Chang advised the government to raise awareness of children’s physical development, and provide more training for teachers and parents.
The government could also introduce vouchers for family sporting activities, and expand urban parks and green spaces to promote children’s healthy development, she added.
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