As sedentary lifestyles take hold among youth, the government has launched a new initiative to encourage students to exercise. Physical activity report cards, similar to regular report cards handed out to students at the end of every semester, will be used to track students' physical activeness.
Speaking at an event for the launch of the report cards in the capital, Ankara, Health Minister Mehmet Müezzinoğlu said 71 percent of people above the age of 12 have a largely sedentary lifestyle and 58 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 11 do not participate in daily exercise routines. He added that children at those ages were supposed to complete at least one hour of physical activity on a daily basis to remain healthy.
"The report cards will measure the number of pushups and sit-ups a student can do, their flexibility and their body mass index (BMI) based on their weight and height. Their grades in those areas will not affect their overall grades," he said. Parents will be able to access the status of their children in terms of physical activity.
National Education Minister Nabi Avcı said at the event that physical inactivity is the root cause of many diseases, noting that about 3.2 million annual deaths around the world are linked to physical inactivity, according to World Health Organization (WHO). "Teachers and doctors have the most important role to curb physical inactivity and make activity a part of daily life. They have to raise awareness about this issue among children. I believe the new report cards will help promote the issue," he said.
Experts link physical inactivity to an emerging lifestyle, especially among youth who are addicted to their cellphones and computers or who spend hours in front of TVs every day. Inactivity also helps boost obesity rates, and recent surveys show 30 percent of students in Turkey are obese.
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