More than two thirds of children in Britain fall below recommended levels of fitness for their age group, according to a study published today (22 April).

Research by youth activity provider Fit For Sport, comprising 10,000 primary-school aged children, found that 67 per cent were unable to reach targets in jumping, running and throwing. Meanwhile, 24 per cent fell significantly below recommended levels, indicating that fitness is a cause for concern.

The findings of the Challenging Children’s Inactivity report should serve as a wake-up call for parents, warned Fit For Sport CEO and founder Dean Horridge, who said many place too much emphasis on their child’s academic performance and not enough on their activity levels.

“This is a clear call to action,” said Horridge. “Physical inactivity is a ticking time bomb for the UK’s health and both parents and schools must make sure children are spending enough time being active to improve their fitness and health levels now, and set them off on a journey to an active life.”

The UK is currently in the grip of an inactivity epidemic and the latest findings indicate that much more must be done to reverse this trend. Chief Medical Officer guidelines recommend that children spend 60 minutes a day being physically active, yet only 21 per cent of boys and 16 per cent of girls achieve this.

In his foreword to today’s report, ukactive CEO David Stalker notes that youth activity levels are continuing to decline, indicating that more needs to be done by organisations, parents and teachers to reverse the trend.

“Previous research suggests that the average 10-year-old in 1998 could beat 95% of youngsters in 2008 in running tests, and further statistics show that children’s activity levels are continuing to fall,” writes Stalker, whose organisation recently renewed its efforts to support youth activity providers.

“Inactivity is the fourth largest cause of disease and disability, and directly contributes to one in every six deaths in the UK. As well as protecting against these dangers, being physically active every day is vital for the healthy growth and development of school-age children.”

Following today’s report, Fit For Sport has created a free online portal where parents can complete the Activity Challenge with their own children and log on to submit scores and compare children’s results with the recommended levels. To view the portal, click here.