Recently published research from the University of Sydney has shown that Australian families are spending about twice as much on ’screen entertainment’ (mainly TVs and computers) as they are on active recreation such as sports fees, gym memberships and costs associated with physical activity.

It was concluded that 3.3% of family income was spent on screen entertainment while only 1.5% was spent on physical activity.
While this isn’t surprising given the continuing increase incidence of obesity, it is still an alarming fact and raises further concerns for children who are becoming less active and have parents who are placing a low priority on physical activity.

The research suggested that lower income families found the cost of physically active recreation limiting and thus participation in physical activity was lower in lower income, and less educated families. This then brings up the question of the cost of participating in physical activity? And the fact is, it doesn’t have to cost that much at all, especially for adults who can easily get out for walks, rides and active family activities. Gym memberships are not an essential component of being physically active. However, sport for children is recommended given that sport can assist children to develop in many ways in addition to simply the physical activity involved.Thus, sporting fees can be an ongoing family cost.
In summary, this is more research highlighting the decrease in Australia’s physical activity levels. However, this research also brings in the question of the importance of family lifestyle in shaping the long term health and fitness of children.