THIS CONTENT IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY The Norwegian School of Sport Sciences - read more

Activity recommendations for children: 60 minutes may be too little

New research suggests there is reason to consider changing the current physical activity recommendations.

Four children playing and balancing on a tree trunk in an autumn forest.
Researchers believe the recommendations for physical activity among children should be reconsidered, partly due to a large international study.
Gjermund Erikstein-Midtbø COMMUNICATIONS ADVISER
Presented by: Presented by: The Norwegian School of Sport Sciences
Published

Currently, health authorities both nationally and internationally recommend 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily for children aged 6 to 17.

But is that really enough?

Researchers at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences (NIH) have conducted a comprehensive review study analysing 14 international longitudinal studies.

They investigated the relationship between physical activity and sedentary behaviour and various indicators of cardiovascular health.

Make sure kids get out of breath during the day

Nearly 13,000 children and adolescents from 16 different countries across four continents were included in the study.

No previous study of this scale has measured children's activity levels using motion sensors.

"This is the best and most comprehensive study conducted in this field to date," says Professor Ulf Ekelund, one of the most renowned researchers in public health and physical activity internationally.

The findings also show that the most important thing parents can do is to ensure their children engage in activities that make them short of breath during the day.

  • Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity has a slight but favourable association with markers for cardiovascular health. These indicators include insulin, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and an overall risk score. Such activity ranges from fast walking to activities that make you breathless and sweaty.

  • The researchers found no association between total sedentary time and a worse cardiovascular risk profile among youth.

  • More than the currently recommended 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity per day may be necessary to improve cardiovascular health among youth.

Blond child in a yellow sweater hanging upside down on an indoor climbing frame.
In the study, researchers measured the children’s activity using motion sensors and followed the children over several years.

Increase to 90 minutes every day?

"This suggests that sedentary behaviour in itself is not a risk factor for cardiovascular health in children. The most important public health measure is to ensure that children raise their heart rate for some portion of the day, rather than focusing solely on the minutes they spend sitting," says Anders Husøy.

He is a researcher at NIH's Department of Sports Medicine. He studies physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and public health.

The reason researchers believe the activity recommendation should be increased is that the study showed that only the most active children had a lower likelihood of having a higher cardiovascular risk score.

"Those in this group averaged 92.8 minutes of activity per day. This could suggest that the recommendation should be closer to 90 minutes per day," says Husøy.

Should activity guidelines be adapted to age?

The established recommendation of 60 minutes per day was introduced in 1998. Ekelund believes it is high time for the World Health Organization (WHO) to update its guidelines.

Since 1998, more and far better studies have been conducted in this field.

"The established guidelines are largely based on older cross-sectional studies. Only three studies at the time included actual measurements of blood pressure and blood markers," the researcher says.

Ekelund also believes health authorities should consider separate activity recommendations for different age groups. The relationship between activity level and risk markers for cardiovascular health was strongest in the younger groups of children.

"Now I'm speculating a bit, but I think the current recommendation for ages 6 to 17 spans too wide an age range. I believe there should be separate recommendations for children aged 6 to 11–12 years and another for adolescents," he says.

The researchers emphasise that more research is needed to draw definitive conclusions. One reason is that teenagers change rapidly in many different ways.

The group for whom activity is most important

The study also found a stronger relationship between physical activity and better cardiovascular health markers among those with the highest BMI.

"This indicates that physical activity is particularly beneficial for this group," says Ekelund.

The researchers emphasise that this study examined only a few of the many indicators of health.

"This is, of course, just a small part of children's overall health. Physical activity has numerous other benefits for children that this study did not measure – such as improved cognitive function and learning, better mental health and well-being, stronger bones, and physical fitness," says Jakob Tarp.

He is part of the NIH research group behind the study.

Reference:

Husøy et al. Device-Measured Physical Activity, Sedentary Time, and Cardiometabolic Risk Markers in Youth: A Harmonized Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis, JAMA Pediatrics, 2026. DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2026.5176

———

Read the Norwegian version of this article on forskning.no

More content from The Norwegian School of Sport Sciences:

children and adolescents partner physical activity norwegian-school-of-sport-sciences health
Powered by Labrador CMS