A new study has been conducted that sought to investigate the couch potato lifestyle risk to children and researchers discovered that it might be having a permanent and negative impact on their bone health.

The researchers at the University of British Columbia assert that roughly 36 percent of the adult skeleton is developed during the adolescent period in our life and this is when growth spurts tend to happen.

If children are physically inactive, they suggest that this can be critical to impacting the development of bone strength and density.

For their study they looked at girls who were between the ages of 10 and 14, as well as boys who were between 12 and 16 years of age. Over 300 participants were involved. They observed the children over a 4 year period. Throughout that time they measured bone development and monitored the activity of the children.

Results...

They found that for those teens who were significantly less active physically, that they had less bone strength. Researchers say that this could also increase the risk of fractures for the child and possibly osteoporosis in the future.

They conclude that there are long-term health risks for kids who choose to spend more time sitting idle than moving around and trying to be active. They want to remind kids that physical activity is important to cardiovascular and skeletal health.

Researchers say that they still want to investigate whether or not there is an optimal amount of time for activity in order to reap results, or perhaps what sort of activity would be most efficient in order to strengthen bones throughout childhood.

Another recent study on the same issue, looked at kids in the UK, and they determined that physical activity starts to decline around age 7 for these kids today.

It's long been believed that the couch-potato habit starts early on in life, but this study suggests that this habit might not come around until about age 7 or so. This is when they say they really saw physical activity levels start to decline.

Playing outside and being active isn't just good for your health, it's also a way to help foster and promote creativity for the child.

I remember the days when I would play outside with nothing more than sticks and mud, and you had to use your creativity to honestly entertain yourself for hours. It wasn't until the Nintendo came around, and then the computer, that I started to spend much more time inside. But I really cherish those days spent outside during my childhood.

At the moment, health officials currently recommend that children be limited to no more than 2 hours of daily screen time, along with at least 60 mins of strenuous physical activity, and several hours of light physical activity. For kids between 5-13 it's also suggested that they get 9-11 hours of sleep. And for kids who are 14-17 it's recommended that they get 8-10 hours of sleep.

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The information that is posted above is not intended or implied to ever be used as any substitute for professional medical advice, or diagnosis or treatment. The above is posted for informational purposes only.

Sources:
http://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/kids-couch-potato-lifestyles-risk-permanent-bone-health-issues-study-1.3339247
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/children-exercise-bjsm-1.4024099
https://www.thesun.co.uk/living/3084056/children-slip-into-inactivity-as-young-as-seven-due-to-smartphones-and-television/