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Teenagers Kelsey Ratcliffe and Bec Dyson aren’t surprised to hear that more than half the girls their age don’t exercise.
The pair play hockey in Warrnambool and couldn’t imagine not playing sport.
But they said other girls their age just weren’t interested in being active.
For some, it was a case of they lacked motivation. For others, distractions such as TV, mobile phones and the internet took precedence.
“They definitely wouldn’t do the recommended one hour of exercise a day. That definitely wouldn’t happen,” Bec, 15, said.
The Standard spoke to the girls following the release of The Australian Bureau of Statistics’ National Health Survey 2014-15 results, which found almost 60 per cent of girls aged 15 to 17 did little to no exercise.
Warrnambool City Council medical officer Karoline Gunn was another who wasn’t surprised by the statistics. The GP often highlights to teenage girls the importance of consistent activity in consultations.
She said inactive teens would be prone to long-term health issues as they aged.
“It’s about ongoing regular activity. It doesn’t need to be competitive,” Dr Gunn said.
“They drop out because they’re not necessarily good. Achievement push burns people out.
“(But it’s more) about keeping active.”
Exercise habits must be formed early to become a regular behavior into adulthood.
“It’s not a lack of health message education. The education is not the issue,” she said. “It’s addressing that inertia that exists.”
She said one contributing motivation factor was a lack of sleep or irregular weekend sleep patterns.
“(Lack of) sleep is a huge issue. It’s at night and going to bed late and getting up late.”
They then “lack the impetus to get going. Everything becomes harder because you can’t be bothered,” Dr Gunn said.
Warrnambool City Council community policy and planning manager Lisa McLeod said a 2015 Communities That Care survey provided local insight.
That survey showed 34.8 per cent of boys and girls in year six were meeting physical activity guidelines.
By year eight, that number had dropped to 19.3 per cent. In year 10, it was down to 13 per cent.
"The year eight comparison for Australia is 16.9 per cent, which means we're a bit better than the national average,” Mrs McLeod said.
“(Activity) certainly does decrease as the young people get older. It's a national trend we need to understand how it happens and how we can intervene in a way that makes a difference.
“It makes a big difference if you can encourage them to do something every day and meet the guidelines.”
Despite pressure to be attractive and slim, best friends Bec and Kelsey don’t worry about how they look when playing sport.
“I’m just happy to give it a go,” Kelsey said.
