10th Annual Health Survey by Sportz Village says 81% of children do not have healthy BMI in Kolkata; worst amongst all the top cities in India

News Correspondent, abptakmaa, Kolkata, 31st Jan 2020 : Sportz Village’s 10^th Annual Health Survey (AHS) reveals that children are displaying poor fitness levels across India. The nationwide survey has covered 1,49,833 children in the age groups of 7 years to 17 years from 364 schools across 250 cities and towns.Kolkata city recorded the worst and alarming results with 81% children having unhealthy BMI.

Key findings (National Level)

• Total number of children surveyed: 1,49,833; across 22 states
• 1 in 2 children do not have healthy BMI
• 1 in 2 children do not have the adequate Upper body strength
• 2 in 3 children do not have the adequate Lower body strength
• 1 in 6 children do not have the desired Abdominal strength
• 1 in 3 children do not possess the desired Flexibility
• 2 in 3 children do not have the desired Aerobic capacity
• 1 in 3 children do not possess the desired Anaerobic capacity

The AHS was launched 10 years ago to understand the overall health and fitness levels of children in private schools. The survey assessed the children on different fitness parameters of Body Mass Index (BMI), Aerobic capacity, Anaerobic capacity, Abdominal or Core strength, Flexibility, Upper body strength and lower body strength.

At a national level, the survey reveals that 1 in 2 children do not have healthy BMI. The number of children with healthy levels of Aerobic capacity, Upper body strength and lower body strength is also low. Although this is a matter of concern, the number of children with healthy levels of Abdominal strength and Sprint capacity have increased in comparison to last year.

Saumil Majmudar, CEO, Sportz Village Schools, says, “The AHS indicates that the health of children in India is not what it should be. Although this is a cause for concern, we know what we have to do, to address this problem. The amount of time a child spends in physical activity is directly correlated to the fitness parameters of Upper body strength, BMI and Aerobic capacity. School leaders need to ensure that there is an adequate number of physical education periods factored into a school’s timetable. There is also a need to implement structured in-school physical education programs that are age-appropriate, inclusive and engage all children meaningfully. Moreover, an adequate number of qualified physical education trainers are also required to ensure that all children get ample attention and equal opportunities to play and learn.” Publicity : Perfect Relations.

Fitness levels comparative (City Specific) analysis: Kolkata

City		BMI	Upper Body Strength	Lower Body Strength	Abdominal Strength	Flexibility	Aerobic Capacity	Anaerobic Capacity
Kolkata	% Healthy	19%	60%	38%	85%	75%	38%	64%
% Unhealthy	81%	40%	62%	15%	25%	62%	36%

Girls versus Boys: Kolkata

The numbers below, indicate the percentage of children who are healthy in the respective fitness parameters.

Girls versus boys 

The survey reveals that both boys and girls have poor BMI with only 17 % of boys and 21% of girls recording better BMI. The girls fared better than boys in various parameters like Upper and lower body strength, abdominal strength, anaerobic capacity and flexibility. The boys, one the other hand, only fared well in Aerobic capacity.