Girls in the study got less vigorous physical activity during sports practices than boys. (Kiichiro Sato/Associated Press)More than 75 per cent of children in organized sports such as baseball or soccer do not reach the U.S. government's recommended amount of physical activity during their practices, a study suggests.

National guidelines in the U.S. recommend that children and teens perform 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day, but fewer than half of children and 10 per cent of teens meet these guidelines.

In April, the group Active Healthy Kids Canada reported that fewer than half of Canadian kids under five are getting regular physical activity as part of their daily routines.

The study in Monday's issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine looked at 200 youth age seven to 14 in the U.S. who played on soccer, baseball or softball teams.

The athletes wore accelerometers — sensors that measure physical activity — around their waists during practices. Parents filled out surveys with information about the demographics of the family as well as details about the children's ages, racial and ethnic background, height and weight.Players spent an average of 30 minutes being inactive during each practice, researchers found. (CBC)

Overall, only 24 per cent of participants met the 60-minute physical activity recommendation during practice, with rates differing by sport and age group.

"There clearly are opportunities to increase physical activity in youth sports," the Desiree Leek of San Diego State University and University of California and co-authors wrote.

"Based on current findings, it appears that youth sports practices are making a less-than-optimal contribution to the public health goals of increasing physical activity and preventing childhood obesity."

Fewer than 10 per cent of participants age 11 to 14 years and fewer than two per cent of girl softball players reached the guideline.

The players spent an average of 30 minutes being inactive during each practice, which ranged in length from 40 to 130 minutes for soccer and 35 to 217 minutes for baseball or softball.

Increasing activity

"There clearly are opportunities to increase physical activity in youth sports," Desiree Leek of San Diego State University and the University of California and co-authors wrote.

"Based on current findings, it appears that youth sports practices are making a less-than-optimal contribution to the public health goals of increasing physical activity and preventing childhood obesity."

During soccer practices, the participants gained 44 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity compared with 41 minutes for baseball and softball practices.

Girls got less of this type of physical activity than boys during sports practices.

The researchers suggested several ways to increase physical activity during practices, including:

• Emphasizing participation over competition.
• Sponsoring teams for all skill levels across all ages.
• Ensuring access by lower-income youth with sliding scales for fees.
• Increasing practice frequency.
• Extending short seasons.
• Using pedometers or accelerometers to monitor physical activity periodically during practices.
• Providing coaches with strategies to increase physical activity.
• Supporting youth and parents in obtaining adequate physical activity on non-practice days.

Previous research on school-based physical education classes showed that putting more emphasis on keeping youth active while they learn skills and team strategies increases the amount of moderate to vigorous physical activity, Russell Pate and Dr. Jennifer O'Neill said in a journal editorial accompanying the study.

Pate and O'Neill are with the department of exercise science at the University of South Carolina.

More than sports

Pate and O'Neill said health care providers should not hesitate to encourage parents to involve children in well-organized and properly supervised sports.

But parents should know that not all sports programs are created equal when it comes to providing physical activity.

"Parents should be informed that, while youth sports programs can be an important source of physical activity for youth, it is very unlikely that most young people will meet current physical activity guidelines only through organized sports programs," the editorial said.

"School physical education, informal physical activity in home or neighbourhood settings, and active transport to and from school can and should be important sources of physical activity for most American youth."

More research is needed on the amount and intensity of exercise that youth get from sports and recreation, including dance lessons and outdoor programs like rock climbing, the editorial urged.

Active Healthy Kids Canada recommends children age one to five get at least two hours a day — through play, games, recreation and active transportation like cycling. For children older than five, it's 90 minutes a day.