In its first global study, WHO finds 4 in 5 kids aren't getting enough exercise

Teenagers.
(Image credit: iStock.)

About 80 percent of adolescents around the globe are getting less than the recommended 60 minutes of exercise, according to the World Health Organization's first-ever global study of physical activity among kids ages 11 to 17.

The study found that girls were less active than boys worldwide, with the biggest gender gaps in the United States and Ireland. It also mentioned that many sports in the United States seem designed to attract boys more than girls. In a press release on Friday, author Dr. Regina Guthold of WHO, pushed for "urgent policy action" to particularly "promote and retain girls' participation in physical activity."

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Ramisa Rob

Ramisa Rob is a web intern at The Week. She is also an investigative reporting fellow at Brian Ross Investigates, and has previously worked for the The Daily Star. A recent graduate of the University of Michigan, she is currently pursuing her Masters at NYU Tisch.