A study published in the Lancet Child and Adolescent Health journal by the World Health Organisation shows that while more than 80 percent of all schoolchildren aged 11–17 years failed to meet the current recommendations for daily physical activity, girls and boys in India and Bangladesh can boast the lowest levels of insufficient physical activity.
However, globally, Bangladesh has the lowest prevalence of insufficient physical activity, making their children the most physically active. This was true for both boys and girls.
The study says, “Low prevalence of insufficient activity in boys in Bangladesh and India might be explained by the strong focus on national sports, such as cricket, which is frequently played unstructured in local communities.”
South Asia was the region with the lowest level of insufficient activity in 2016 among girls; Bangladesh and India reported the lowest prevalence of inactivity.
“This might be potentially explained by societal factors, such as girls being required to support activity and domestic chores around the home,” study says.
