How Much Is Children’s Running Endurance Declining?

Children’s running endurance is declining worldwide at a rate of 5% every 10 years, according to an international study of the cardiovascular endurance of children over a period of more than 35 years. The study found that the average time it took children to run 1 mile (1.61 km) in 2010 was 90 seconds slower than the results of children in 1980. This decrease in children’s running endurance is thought to be partially attributed to their increased fat masses. US children’s running endurance fared the worst in the study, at an average decrease of 6% every decade.

More about aerobic exercise:

• Only 48% of American adults exercise the recommended 30 minutes per day, experts say.


• Middle-aged women who do not perform regular aerobic exercise are about twice as likely to die from cardiovascular disease.


• Research suggests that regular aerobic exercise could delay aging by as much as 12 years.