Those aged 5-12 spend 18 hours on physical activity every week. Teenagers aged 13-17 spend 15 hours a week being active. Three out of five children and youth aged 5-17 are not active enough for optimal growth and development. While the time spent being active appears adequate as a basis for supporting a habit of lifelong activity, only two-fifths of children participate in activities of sufficient intensity to meet the guideline for optimal growth and development set in the Lifetime Physical Activity Model. Toward an understanding of appropriate physical activity levels for youth.
More boys are active than girls.
This is true for school-age and teenage children. These sex-related differences are linked to differences in intensity of chosen activities and, in the case of teenagers, the greater amount of time spent in activities by boys than by girls. Women are more likely than men to participate in walking, home exercise, social dancing, exercise classes, and yoga or tai chi. Conversely, men are more likely than women to report several activities, especially hockey, golf, baseball or softball, football, basketball, soccer, bicycling, jogging and running, and weight training. Almost two-thirds of preschoolers participate in tobogganing or other winter activities, and in running or kicking games.