Physical health

The promotion of physical activity in children and young people is about the prevention of poor health and promotion of positive health in both childhood and adolescence, into and throughout adulthood. Some of the direct benefits of being active as a child include healthy growth, strong heart and lungs, good energy levels, a healthy weight, reduced risk of heart disease and opportunities for social interaction, achievement and mental wellbeing.

There is also evidence that physical activity can improve social and moral development. The evidence linking physical activity to academic achievements is not solid, but there are many positive links such as an ability to concentrate, improved confidence and self-esteem, lower levels of stress and anxiety, and better classroom discipline. There is also evidence that children who are active are less likely to smoke or use alcohol or illegal drugs compared to inactive children.

To get the benefits outlined above, international recommendations state that each child should participate in at least one hour of moderate physical activity each day. This can be achieved through a variety of activities undertaken at home, at school and in the community and can include play, sports, active travel and active tasks.

As a corporate parent, local authorities should consider how they ensure that all their looked after children, young people and care leavers are encouraged and supported to lead a physically active life.

It could be ensuring that policies are in place to provide financial support for a sports kit for school, paying fees for general activities such as those organised by local youth clubs and youth organisations, or paying for young people to undertake specialist sporting activities such as lifeguard training. It might be that all looked after children and care leavers receive free passes or discount cards for local swimming pools and sporting facilities.

Authorities should also consider how they ensure that when they are commissioning projects or awarding grants to community groups around physical activities, they consider how these can be inclusive and highlight the needs of their looked after children, young people and care leavers.

Scotland's physical activity strategy Let's make Scotland more active (2003) continues to provide the framework for physical activity policy for the Scottish Government and its delivery partners. The strategy sets a target that 50% of adults and 80% of children should be meeting the recommended levels of physical activity by 2022.