Daily exercise is 'much disappearing from young people's lives', an expert has warned, as new data shows England and Wales are near the bottom when it comes to how much children exercise.
Published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and covers 44 countries, the research shows that England, Wales and Scotland performed poorly on measures such as daily physical activity such as brisk walking.
Another measure showed that not all children eat breakfast on a school day, which is against health guidelines.
Although there have been improvements in areas such as children's daily consumption of fruits and vegetables, young people are still not consuming enough to meet healthy eating recommendations, the report found.
Furthermore, there are large differences – especially in Britain – between children from affluent families and children from poorer families, with young people from poorer backgrounds much less likely to eat well or exercise.
Data shows England and Wales are bottom of the world when it comes to how much children exercise
The study looked at the lives of children aged 11, 13 and 15 years old in Europe and Central Europe Asia And Canada.
It included more than 4,000 children in England, 4,000 in Scotland plus children in schools in Wales.
Data shows that 30 percent of girls and 18 percent of boys in England are inactive across all age groups surveyed, while in Wales this figure is 27 percent for girls and 17 percent for boys.
In Scotland, 21 percent of girls are inactive, alongside 12 percent of boys.
By age 15, only 11 percent of girls and 16 percent of boys in England do at least 60 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous physical activity, including brisk walking, cycling or skating.
In Scotland this figure was 7 percent of girls and 16 percent of boys, in Wales it was 12 percent of girls and 21 percent of boys.
These results place England and Wales near the bottom of the global rankings, and below Romania, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Norway and Croatia.
Things improve with more intense activities, such as team sports, but Britain still performs below average for all countries in the study.
Dr. Jo Inchley, international coordinator for the study and expert in social and public health sciences at the University of Glasgow, said: 'Physical activity levels are consistently low in Britain.
'We see relatively many young people involved in what we call vigorous activities, which could be a kind of organized sport… But we have big gender differences and big socio-economic differences.
'By age 15 we have roughly two-thirds of boys in Britain participating in vigorous physical activity four or more times a week, but only a third of girls.
'So that's twice as many boys as girls.
'With more daily moderate to vigorous physical activity, where the heart beats a little faster, but it is not intensive exercise, this largely disappears from the lives of young people.
'So previously, if young people spent a lot of time outside, just playing in the local streets or walking to friends' houses or going to the park, that (figure) would have been a lot higher.
'Now we see that getting really low. I find that quite worrying, because it can have a major impact on the health and well-being of young people.”
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When it comes to eating breakfast before school, which experts say is a good, healthy eating habit for children, around 37 percent of 13-year-old girls and 59 percent of boys in England eat breakfast on weekdays, compared to 33 percent. 54 percent in Wales and 36 percent and 61 percent in Scotland respectively.
This is lower than in other countries including Portugal, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Italy and Norway.
Girls in England, Wales and Scotland eat breakfast less often than the average in all countries in the study.
At age 15, only 35 percent of girls in England have breakfast daily on weekdays (below the average for all countries), as do 51 percent of boys.
When it comes to fruit, 46 percent of girls and 43 percent of boys aged 11 in England eat fruit every day, as do 38 percent of girls and 35 percent of boys in Wales and 54 percent of girls and 52 percent of boys in Scotland.
More than a million children had their height and weight measured as part of the National Child Measurement Program (NCMP). Nationally, the rate among children in the sixth form is over a third, despite falling slightly since the start of Covid
Among sixth grade students, national obesity decreased from 23.4 percent in 2021/2022 to 22.7 percent. Meanwhile, the proportion of children considered overweight or obese also fell from 37.8 percent to 36.6 percent. Both measures are above pre-pandemic levels
Dr. Inchley said: 'I think we're seeing a trend in Britain… a decline in breakfast consumption over time.
'That is worrying, because it means that young people go to school without food, which affects their ability to learn and concentrate.
'It's particularly low for girls aged 13 to 15 – less than around 40 percent eat breakfast every day on school days – and that is certainly a concern.
'Breakfast consumption sets you up for the day and is associated with a range of positive health and educational outcomes.
'More broadly, I think it speaks to a healthier diet, which is of course also linked to overweight and obesity.'
Dr. Inchley also pointed out major differences in the report between more affluent and less affluent families.
She said: 'For example, almost twice as many young people from high socio-economic groups eat vegetables, compared to lower socio-economic groups. That's a huge difference.
'I think poverty must be a major driving force behind that.
'Also, young people growing up in poorer areas are less likely to have access to fresh fruit and vegetables, it may be more expensive for younger people to buy them, and there may be cultural barriers around preparing fresh meals every day and soon .'
She said it is positive that children appear to be eating more fruit and vegetables over time and there has been a decline in the consumption of sugary drinks.
Dr. Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, said: 'Regular physical activity, healthy eating habits and maintaining a healthy weight are essential elements of a healthy lifestyle.
'The report's findings indicate a need for targeted interventions to enable adolescents to adopt healthier behaviors and avoid habits that affect not only their current health and wellbeing, but also their future trajectories as adults.'
Other data from the survey shows that 27 percent of 11-year-old girls and 24 percent of 11-year-old boys in England think they are too fat, as do 31 percent of girls and 23 percent of boys in Wales. .
By the age of 15, 43 percent of girls and 29 percent of boys in England consider themselves too fat, rising to 50 percent of girls and 30 percent of boys in Wales.
The latest data on childhood obesity in England shows that one in ten children are overweight by the time they start primary school, rising to around one in four by the sixth year.
Obesity also takes a huge financial toll in Britain, with consequent health consequences in terms of lost working years, healthcare costs and the price of NHS treatments. This costs the economy an estimated £100 billion per year.