Why do Hong Kong girls need more exercise?

Ben Kwok June 07, 2023 09:54

Here is one reason why we call a lady a “miss”.

According to the findings of the latest Physical Fitness Survey for the Community, 85 per cent of girls in Hong Kong thought they had enough exercise.

But the reality is 80 per cent of them did not have at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous daily physical activity, as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
What a miss! But wait, don’t blame them.

Last year, a similar survey by the WHO showed 85 per cent of adolescent girls worldwide did not have enough exercise.

In this light, Hong Kong girls are in fact better than the global average.

This local survey, co-organised by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, is part of the policy agenda of a territory-wide longitudinal Physical Fitness Survey for the Community to build a database on physical fitness and promote sports in the local community.

The survey found that 53.8 per cent of the adults between age 17 and 79 did not have enough exercise as WHO has recommended. Those between seven and 11 were the worst with 66.3 percent of them below the recommended level.

For girls, bad weather was the top barrier to exercise, followed by homework and physically and mentally too tired. Their favourite sports are swimming, followed by rope skipping, cycling, dance and ball games.

That perhaps explains why one-third of our children are overweight. Eating too much while not exercising enough is the culprit. But the accomplice is definitely we are just too busy.

The government should keep reminding its citizens about the importance of staying healthy. A walk a day keeps the doctor away.

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Ben Kwok

EJ Insight writer