Overprotective parents, you need to back off if you want your kids to be more active. So says a study published in The American Journal of Preventive Medicine, which found that children in the park when their parents are hovering over them.
While the initial research sought to establish the best park layouts, scientists came to an unexpected conclusion: parents with a tendency to hover often interrupted children's spontaneous play.
The North Carolina State University study which monitored 2,712 children across 20 parks revealed that younger kids were more active than older children, and basketball and tennis prompted the most activity.
With soaring obesity rates, and September being touted as National Childhood Obesity Month in the U.S., the study is certainly relevant, with one in five 6- to 11-year-old children defined as obese by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Want your kid to run around more? Then stand back. Or better yet: get them to chase you. Tag, you're it!
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