Outdoor sports and recreations.

1. Cotton wool culture
By Anna Edwards Published : 18 February 2014
Protective parents are stopping their children from playing sports because of fears they could be
injured.
More than half of parents surveyed considered rugby, hockey, horse riding and swimming as
dangerous sports, while seven per cent said their children did not play outdoors at all.
One in seven parents said they would stop their child playing rugby because of the possibility of
injury, as health campaigners criticised the 'cotton wool culture' and warned activity & recreation
was essential to children.
Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, said that the benefits of exercise outweighed the risks of
injury.
For example, taking a brisk walk 'makes your brain grow': Energetic stroll three times a week can
increase size of organ's memory hub and improve fitness.
He said: 'It's a tragedy the way that we are protecting our children, cocooning our children.
'If children don't go out and exercise, they will become fat or very unfit,' he told The Times.
The survey of 2,000 parents, by Omega Pharma's Generations of Care campaign, found that a third
of children spent less than five hours a week playing outside.
More than half of parents surveyed considered rugby, hockey, horse riding and swimming as
dangerous sports.
It is not only protective parents who have contributed to the decline of children’s' sports.
Competitive parents are stripping the enjoyment from school sport, a leading head teacher has
claimed.
Leonard Blom, headmaster of St Aubyn’s School, Woodford Green, Essex, said that pushy mothers
and fathers are making exhibitions of themselves and damaging children’s confidence.
They are losing sight of the importance of ‘good sportsmanship’ and setting a poor example to
others, he said.
Mr Blom, whose school has 500 boys and girls aged three to 13, urged parents to be proud when
their child does well and ‘make sure that, win or lose, you love them and are not disappointed with
their performance’.
Parents who do not allow their children to exercise are contributing to a global decline in youngsters'
cardiovascular fitness.
Today's children have a cardiovascular fitness 15 per cent lower than their parents did at the same
age, research found in November.

2. They would also run a mile around 90 seconds slower than children 30 years ago could.
Researchers found children's cardiovascular fitness is declining worldwide, and the decline in
running fitness may indicate worse health in adulthood.
The main reason is an increase in body fat.
Lead author Dr Grant Tomkinson, senior lecturer at the University of South Australia's School of
Health Sciences, said: ‘If a young person is generally unfit now, then they are more likely to develop
conditions like heart disease later in life.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2561904/Cotton-wool-culture-More-half-parents-dont-
let-children-play-sports-rugby-hockey-swimming-case-injured.html#ixzz2tgIMpyEC