The Healthy Active Kids South Africa Report Card 2016 reveals the state of our children’s health

The Healthy Active Kids South Africa Report Card (HAKSA) 2016 grades various aspects of physical activity and eating behaviour in South African children and youth (6 – 18 years).

The report reveals that:

• Malnutrition is rife: 1 in 4 preschoolers is overweight/obese while 1 in 5 is stunted. 74% of children in rural settings are underweight.
• More than half of primary school children tested below average for motor control skills. Motor proficiency is linked to academic performance.
• Less than half of children play sport and few do physical education at school; often environments aren’t conducive.
• South African teens consume more than 1 soft drink per day, and 3 times the recommended amount of sugar per week. High sugar consumption is linked to a host of chronic diseases.
• Most children eat less than one portion of fruit or vegetables per day. The recommendation is 5 per day.
• There are 30 million consumers of fast food in South Africa (up 10 million in the last 5 years).
• Children watch TV for an average of 3 hours and day, with significant numbers watching 5 hours a day.

You can read the full Healthy Active Kids South Africa Report Card 2016 here.