Do Kids Really Need Exercise?

The New York Times is many things and lately it seems to be a personal trainer. The Times "Well" blog, anchored by Tara Parker-Pope, is offering everything from free nutritional advice to free marathon training plans.

So I was a little surprised to see contrarian writer Gina Kolata questioning the common belief that kids need exercise. In "How Much Exercise Do Children Need?", Kolata argues, as is her familiar refrain, that there is little clinical research supporting the conventional wisdom. Kolata raises these points:

• Research shows only small health improvements in some (not all) kids who exercise
• Kids don't get continuous exercise the way adults do. They exercise in spurts.
• There is no evidence that kids participate in their childhood sports in their adult lives. I.e. Soccer kids don't necessarily play adult league soccer.
  

Parker-Pope offers a different approach in "Help for Budding Couch Potatoes". She cites a new study published in the JAMA that shows that "by the time a child is 15, daily activity falls to less than one-third of the level it was at age 9". She offers strategies to help kids stay active and these other findings:

• Active parents don't necessarily inspire activity in their kids. Adults often exercise away from home, so kids aren't exposed to exercise.
• The most physically active kids have close friends who are physically active.
• Kids are more likely to exercise when parents offer logistical support and help with daily living like making meals, driving to practices, etc.
• Half the kids drop out of sports programs by age 12 because they don't enjoy them. This is probably because many programs are overbooked and kids do "far too much standing around".

When it comes to the benefits of exercise, Parker-Pope's article contradicts Kolata's: "Overall, teenagers who take part in sports earn better grades, have fewer behavior problems and are less likely to drop out of school."

Okay, so there's no clinical research showing that kids need exercise. Do we really need clinical research to tell us this? Kids run everywhere. They play all the time. And when they don't, they get overweight in epidemic proportions. At any age, it's human nature to exercise, clinically proven or not.