by University of South Australia

Holidays crank up kilos for Aussie kids

Schematic of data treatment to extrapolate the rates of change in fatness and fitness across Grade 4, Grade 5 and the holiday period. Credit: BMC Public Health (2023). DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-17009-4

On the cusp of summer holidays, Aussie kids are looking forward to some well-deserved time off. But too much downtime could create health problems, as new research shows that holidays are the prime time for excessive weight gain in kids.

Conducted by the University of South Australia's Alliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition and Activity team, the "Life on Holidays" study assessed changes to children's fitness and fatness during the holidays. It found that children's body fat increased at a faster pace during school holidays than in-school periods.

The study found that young children (in Grades 4 and 5) expended less energy during holidays than during the school year. The work is published in the journal BMC Public Health.

Specifically, children slept 12 minutes less per day, spent 12 minutes less per being physically active and spent an additional 70 minutes per day on screen time.

Children's body fat increased at a greater rate during the holidays, and aerobic fitness declined faster than during the in-school periods.

It is the first study of its kind outside of the U.S.

In Australia, 1 in 4 children and teenagers are overweight or obese. Globally, more than 124 million children and adolescents (6% of girls and 8% of boys) are obese.

Lead researcher, UniSA's Professor Tim Olds says promoting physical activities for children in the school holidays could help address unhealthy weight gain and declining fitness.

"Like all of us, kids (and their parents) deserve some holiday downtime, but the way they spend their time on holidays is very different from the school term—and in ways which is not always good for children's health," Olds says.

"On school holidays, kids are significantly less active than when they're at school, and this translates into higher body fat percentages and lower levels of fitness.

"During the holidays, kids spend about 12 minutes less each day in moderate to vigorous physical activity—almost an hour and a half a week—and get more than an hour's extra screen time each day. They also spend an extra 20 minutes each day in transport, and a quarter of an hour more per day just chilling.

"It's not surprising to find that kids get fatter at a faster rate on school holidays compared to school term, and lose a lot of fitness. If kids spent the whole year on holidays, their percentage of body fat would increase by about 4% more each year than if they had no holidays, and their fitness would decline by about 10% each year.

"Kids who are not getting enough exercise and movement have a greater risk of developing health issues, such as cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes later in life, so it's important that we encourage kids to stay active and embrace a balance of downtime and exercise."

More information: Tim Olds et al, Changes in fitness and fatness in Australian schoolchildren during the summer holidays: fitness lost, fatness regained? A cohort study, BMC Public Health (2023). DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-17009-4

Journal information: BMC Public Health 

Provided by University of South Australia