Thumbs down: Proof that teens are too sedentary

The World Health Organization recommends that children between the ages of 5 and 17 get at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each day. But for many it’s not happening. According to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, more than half of males and more than 75 percent of females between the ages of 12 and 19 did not reach that guideline. The same was true of 25 percent of boys and 50 percent of girls between the ages of 6 and 11. The numbers are hard to refute. The researchers were analyzing national health survey data from more than 12,500 activity tracking devices attached to individuals for seven straight days between 2003 and 2006. Their conclusion? Activity levels among older teens is comparable to that of 60-year-olds. Ouch.