Society

Japanese children's physical performance worsens amid pandemic

Dec 25 (Japan Times) - The physical performance of children in Japan worsened in fiscal 2021, which began in April, from two years before as the COVID-19 pandemic deprived them of opportunities for exercise, a survey by the Japan Sports Agency showed Friday.

The overall performance score dropped for both boys and girls in the fifth grade of elementary school and the second grade of junior high school. The scores for boys hit their lowest levels since the survey began in fiscal 2008.

The survey was conducted between April and July on some 1.03 million fifth-grade elementary school students and some 980,000 second-grade junior high school students. Their physical performance was evaluated in eight categories. The annual survey was canceled in fiscal 2020 due to the pandemic.

For boys in the fifth grade of elementary school, the total score fell to 52.5 points from 53.6 points in fiscal 2019. For girls, the score dropped to 54.7 points from 55.6 points.

Some 40% of the children said they had less time to spend on exercise because of the pandemic, while about 30% said they had more, highlighting that children are becoming increasingly polarized in terms of time they spend on exercise.

The obesity rate for all boys and the younger group of girls also hit record highs, according to the survey.

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