As the chronic problem of obesity continues to afflict schoolchildren, a study paints a bleaker picture revealing that just a handful of 11-year-olds exercise for at least an hour a day.

We need to work on reducing that gap between the sexes and push for them to start exercising at least one hour every day

Preliminary research on 200 students found that a mere five per cent were physically active for the recommended hour, researcher Andrew Decelis said. Among them, boys outnumbered girls by seven to one.

With these results in hand, Mr Decelis, the director of the University’s Physical Education and Sport Institute, will study the intensity and type of physical exercise, or lack of it, that so-called tweens – a term used to describe children aged between eight and 12 – practise.

Describing the preliminary results as “alarming”, Mr Decelis said that, on average, boys who took part in the study were active for 38 minutes a day while the girls were active for 25 minutes.

“We need to work on reducing that gap between the sexes and push for them to start exercising at least one hour a day,” he said.

While launching his study, which forms part of his doctoral research, Mr Decelis said he wanted to measure the “movement, activity and lifestyle” of schoolchildren attending the final year in primary school.

The data will be collected “objectively” through an accelerometer, a small red, flashing square gadget that is worn by the children on an adjustable belt that can be strapped around the waist. About 1,200 children aged between 10 and 11 from 56 primary schools will be monitored for a week.

The students’ parents will receive a text message every morning to remind the children to put on the belts, which must be removed in the evening.

The accelerometers, sponsored by the Urban Jungle sportswear chain, record the frequency, intensity and duration of physical activity and the amount of sedentary time throughout the day.

Mr Decelis explained that the data would be more accurate than fill-in reports, which are usually self-inflated. The device will also give information on when exactly an exercise is carried out.

The data collection will take place between January and May and the final results of the study are expected later on in the year.

Aided by research assistants who will measure the children’s height and weight, Mr Decelis will look into the link between physical activity and weight.

As expected, the preliminary study revealed that obese children were significantly less active throughout the day, especially during school hours.

The data back up a study that found that a third of children were overweight.

Once all the data is in hand, Mr Decelis will look into the quality and quantity of physical activity and draw up an “activity profile” that will list the type of activities offered to and taken up by children before, during and after school.

He will also assess the type of sedentary activities – such as playing computer games, doing homework or watching television – and the type of food consumed at and outside school.

The Parliamentary Secretary for Sports, Clyde Puli said the results of the study would fill an information gap about obesity in children and their lifestyle.

“This study will give a clear picture to policymakers about the type of action plan needed to tackle the problem of child obesity, which is linked to a number of diseases,” he said.

He appealed to parents to push their children to become more active and take part in physical activities, emphasising that it would not negatively affect their academic performance but actively improve it.

Five ways to help a child lose weight:

• Set realistic goals – the more reachable it is, the more likely the child can live with the modifications.

• Encourage exercise – walking, jogging, bike riding and rollerblading, for example, are all great ways to burn calories. Encourage the child to take the stairs instead of the lift or walk to a friend’s house.

• Choose healthy and nutritious foods – encourage children to eat three small meals and two small snacks, providing them with lots of fruits and vegetables.

• Change the family’s eating habits – serve family meals only in the kitchen or dining room without any other distractions like the television so the child is aware of how much food is consumed.

• Be supportive – it is important for the family to change its eating habits and to give the child its full support.