Why Kids Spend Less Time On Sports

Indian kids now spend less time than adults playing sports, a survey showed.

At 125 minutes per week, the kids in the country's eastern region spend the most time playing sports and fitness activities, while those from the western region spend the lowest at 68 minutes.

According to the PUMA-Nielsen sports survey conducted by sports brand PUMA India and analytics firm Nielsen Sports, Indian kids spend a mere 86 minutes per week on sports and fitness-related activities against the World Health Organization-recommended 420 minutes or more.

Indian adults invest 101 minutes in these activities per week.

The survey covered 16 cities, with 4,280 respondents aged from 6 to 65 years of age. Those between 6 and 18 were categorised as 'kids', and the rest as 'adults'.

Talking to Business Standard, Abhishek Ganguly, managing director, PUMA India and Southeast Asia, said, "The top two reasons for the low participation of kids are lack of time and need to focus on studies."

Fifty-three per cent of kids stated 'lack of time' was the main reason for their low participation in fitness activities. It was followed by 46 per cent by those who believe they need to 'focus on studies'.

"People today believe that sports are a digression from academics and if kids need to focus on academics, they must give up sports. But this is not true," Ganguly added.

"There is a direct correlation between sports participation in kids and improved academic performance and positive emotional well-being."

The survey also highlighted that only 20 per cent of adults in urban India meet the WHO-recommended index of a minimum of 150-300 minutes of physical exercise per week.

The top reason for adults, too, was 'lack of time'.

Ganguly said the main reason was rising screen time among adults. Another reason was the lower priority given to sports.

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com