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Aria Foods: 1 in 4 children never play outside

www.onepoll.com

20 January 2011

One in four children never play outside, a report revealed yesterday (Weds).

Researchers found many of today's youngsters now devote almost all their spare time to staring at television or computer screens rather than enjoying the great outdoors.

The average member of the 'Indoor Generation' now spends twice as much leisure time indoors compared to being outside, according to parents.

It also emerged television and cinema top the list of interest of youngsters aged five to 16, followed by gaming and spending time online.

Seven in ten parents blamed the weather for their kids spending hours in front of screens, but 45 per cent said concerns over their kids' safety was a key factor.

TV naturalist Chris Packham, who is backing the 'Kids Closer to Nature' campaign launched by Arla Foods, said: ''When I was at school, I would come home - dump my bag, jump over the fence and ramble until it was way past dark.

''I was able to engage first-hand with nature: fox cubs, I used to feed them. I would catch grass snakes, go bird nesting, climb trees, go fishing, swim in the river, all these things were just part of my everyday life. Now, I never see young people in the countryside where I live

''I don't see boys kicking a football, riding bikes, climbing trees or making dens anymore.'

The Future Foundation study for Arla Foods grilled a nationally representative sample of 1,000 parents and 500 children on how connected they were with nature.

The results showed 71 per cent of parents agree that their children are happier when they play outdoors and 92 per cent believe playing outdoors is good for their children's health.

Yet a third of parents think that their child is more interested in indoors activities than being outdoors.

The study found 16 hours each week is dedicated to watching TV or being slumped on the sofa, while just eight hours is spent out in the open.

Hectic lifestyles was blamed as the number one reason preventing them from venturing outside with six in ten parents opting to stay indoors if it's cold, wet or windy.

Encouragingly, almost three quarters state they encourage their children to play outside as much as possible.

But despite admissions about how important it is for their kids to enjoy fresh air only 18 per cent indulge in outdoor activities once a week.

And while 90 per cent claimed to be interested in walking in the park, less than half of people actually get out and do it regularly.

More than eight in ten believe families don't spend enough time outdoors and those in urban areas enjoy far less outdoor time, the study also found.

The campaign is supported by some of the leading experts on the link between nature and wellbeing including GP and founder of Intelligent Health - an initiative which helps Brits integrate exercise into their everyday live - Dr William Bird.

Yesterday (Weds), Dr Bird, said: ''As a GP, I've been involved with nature for 15 years.

''When I was talking about nature in the context of health I was a complete nut case back in 1995. Now when I talk about it in health, I'm accepted.

''But the public are still nowhere near the understanding that living more naturally and experiencing the outdoors can actually be used in the health service, or for health, in place of drugs or in place of anything else.

''The natural environment is actually really good, there should be a bit more investment from health into parks and to green spaces.''

Arla Foods as part of their Kids Closer to Nature campaign is launching a grants scheme to offer individuals, schools and communities around the UK the opportunity to apply for money to create spaces which encourage nature in their local area.

And people wanting to apply for a grant to encourage nature in their area can apply through the Arla Kids Closer to Nature website www.kidsclosertonature.co.uk

The Future Foundation report also offers simple recommendations to help people readdress the balance:

* Take children to the park with a bag of nuts to feed the squirrels and birds up close

* Tap into existing nature schemes via organisations such as the National Trust

* Re-introduce children to traditional outdoor games such as British Bulldog