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Only 5 percent of Jakarta's children physically fit, says official
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Children play at an integrated child-friendly public space (RPTRA) in Krendang, West Jakarta, in this Sept. 18, 2017 file photograph. (Antara/Makna Zaezar)
J
akarta's children face high health risks, as only 5 percent are deemed to be physically fit, a youth official has said.
“In a metropolis lilke Jakarta, only five percent of children have been deemed to be in a very good state of physical fitness. That [low percentage indicates] a very high [health] risk,” said undersecretary for sports mainstreaming Raden Isnanta at the Youth and Sports Ministry, as quoted by wartakota.tribunnews.com.
He said that parents opted to drive their children to school so they would feel fresh. “But it's not refreshing when [parents] fight over parking spaces near the school gates,” Isnanta said, adding that the ministry planned to introduce several healthy living programs for children.
He said only about 27 percent of all Indonesians were physically active and that the ministry’s sports development index showed only 18 percent were physically fit.
“Even in international studies, Indonesia is one of the laziest in [terms of] physical activity from 100 surveyed countries,” Isnanta added.
“We can’t deny that our citizens are [physically] very lazy. People use ojek [motorcycle taxi] to go to the market, order food using Go-Food…,” he said, referring to ride-hailing company Go-jek's food delivery service.
He said that Indonesians only walked an average 3,000 steps per day, whereas the most active were residents of Hong Kong, China, who walked an average 7,000 steps per day.
Nutrition, Sports and Fitness Association (ANOKI) chairman Mury Kuswari said that balanced nutrition and physical activity were the keys to a healthier generation.
Mury said that children should be physically active for a minimum of 30 minutes per day and at least five days per week. (ami)
