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Camp Huntington is a co-ed, residential program for children and young adults with special learning and developmental needs. The daily activities offered at Camp Huntington stimulate a child's awareness and interest in their environment and relationships, motivating them to build important foundations of self-confidence, self-efficacy, personal growth and independence. Learn more about Camp Huntington >>

Kids' Activity Levels Drop Off as They Get Into Teen Years

Nine year-olds move around for over three hours a day. However, by age fifteen, their activity level drops to less than 45 minutes a day, according to an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Researchers found that only a third of teenagers got the recommended minimum one hour a day of aerobic exercise. Age 13 was the year that activity levels dropped off dramatically. On weekends, for example, activity decreased from 49 minutes to 30 a day.

"I was surprised by the degree of the drop: it's a dramatic shift," said Dr. James Griffin of the National Institute's Center for Research for Mothers and Children. "Younger children appear to be naturally active, but as kids get older, they find fewer opportunities to be active." Researchers spectulated that older teens tend to watch television or play videos with friends, rather than pursuing active games.

The study, led by Dr. Philip Nader, a professor of pediatrics at University of California, San Diego, tracked over 1000 American children from 2000 to 2006, providing them with devices that recorded their movement.

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