Study: 1 in 5 King County kids getting recommended hour of activity per day

A new study shows that fewer than one in five King County kids are not getting the recommended hour of exercise a day, not that adults are either.

The study was produced by The Aspen Institute, University of Washington, and King County, and found that 22 percent of boys and 16 percent of girls are getting 60 minutes of physical activity per day, with kids only reaching the right amount about 4.18 days per week, reports The Seattle Times.

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It also showed a lower amount of activity for less affluent children with an average of 3.68, and families who don’t speak English in the home at 3.65 (and three times less likely to take part in organized sports, potentially related to the registration forms only available in English).

Numerous factors are believed to be contributing to this, including a lack of transit access to parks and green spaces.

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In terms of solutions, the study points to expanding programs like Trailhead Direct, which connects hikers to trailheads using public transit. It further suggests King County expand free youth access to parks near transit stops, with the study finding that many of the parks were otherwise not within reach to kids, who told surveyors they would be more likely to go if transit expanded.

The full report will be released this week.

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