BRITISH girls are among the least physically active in the world, a study reveals.
And while boys do better, three in four fail to hit World Health Organisation exercise targets.
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WHO researchers examined activity levels among 1.6 million students aged 11 to 17 in 146 countries.
They found 84.7 per cent of girls worldwide fail to reach the recommended hour of moderate to vigorous activity daily. The UK figure was even higher at 85.4 per cent.
Globally, 77.6 per cent of boys were classed as “insufficiently active”. The UK figure was 74.7 per cent.
Since 2001 boys and girls worldwide have become more active. In the UK boys have followed that improvement but girls have become even more sedentary.
Study leader Dr Regina Guthold said: “There is an urgent need for national and global action, with a particular focus on adolescent girls.
“Young people have the right to play and should be provided with the opportunities to realise their right to physical and mental health and well-being.”
Filipino boys and South Korean girls were most inactive, according to the findings published in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health.
Previous studies have found some girls feel too body conscious or unsafe when exercising in public. Others report a lack of motivation.
Last night Tam Fry, from the National Obesity Forum, warned: “We are storing up physical and mental health problems for the future.”
