It is a well known thing that physical activity is good for your physical health and keeping your body healthy. Most people believe children should be gettin about an hour of physical activity a day. Through the recent pandemic and also just so many more screens and time spent on screens this physical activity is much less than it should be for many kids.
Schools throughout America are implementing less and less structured physical activity for children which may cause negative issues. A study done by Manuel Hanke and Sebastian Ludyga from the university of Basel, looked at whether physical activity in children caused them to be less stressed. This study spanned for a week covering 110 children putting them in categories of low or high physical activity. The lower group got 30 minutes of activity and the higher group got 60 minutes of activity. They then would test cortisol levels in the lab. The group with higher physical had much less cortisol levels and stated mood boosts.
Although this study was just a correlational study, I think it is very important for schools throughout America to implement longer recess times and for parents to make sure their children are getting the right amount of physical activity.
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Ben Solomon
Research Assistant, UConn KIDS
