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Teenagers
start to reject swimming
The proportion of teenagers who swim regularly has dropped dramatically in the last ten years, according to new figures which swimming teachers suggested showed older children are rejecting the nation's favourite sporting activity.
One in four 11-to 18-year-olds swam every week in 1993, but that figure has dropped steadily to nearly one in 10 of the same age group this year. It comes soon after ministers announced free swimming for over-60s as part of the Olympic legacy plans.
Roger Millard, chief executive of the Swimming Teachers' Association, said: "It's increasingly a problem of keeping teenagers interested. There are too many distractions: electronic games, boyfriends and girlfriends. Physical activity is dying off, look at the obesity rates. Lifestyle is certainly a factor but swimming pools have also closed. There are more private pools but they are too expensive for lots of children."
The figures are extracted from surveys of 4,000 11- to 18-year-olds conducted by the British Market Research Bureau every six months for the past 15 years. A total of 25% of 11-18 year olds reported swimming every week when the figures were first collected in 1993, compared with 12% today. The proportion who swim falls rapidly with age: this year 14% of the 11- to 15-year-olds said they swam weekly compared with 9% of the 16-18 year olds.
There are also marked geographical differences, with the highest levels of swimming in Wales, where 23% of 11-15 year olds swim once a week. At the opposite end of the scale, in London, 10% swim as regularly, with the same figure in Yorkshire and Humberside and the north of England.
The Welsh assembly funds free swimming for under-16s in school holidays, while in Scotland, England and Northern Ireland local authorities set tariffs.
The most comparable NHS figures on obesity show that in 2006 17.3% of boys and 14.7% of girls were obese compared with 10.9% and 12.0% in 1995.
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The proportion of teenagers who swim regularly has dropped dramatically in the last ten years, according to new figures which swimming teachers suggested showed older children are rejecting the nation's favourite sporting activity.
One in four 11-to 18-year-olds swam every week in 1993, but that figure has dropped steadily to nearly one in 10 of the same age group this year. It comes soon after ministers announced free swimming for over-60s as part of the Olympic legacy plans.
Roger Millard, chief executive of the Swimming Teachers' Association, said: "It's increasingly a problem of keeping teenagers interested. There are too many distractions: electronic games, boyfriends and girlfriends. Physical activity is dying off, look at the obesity rates. Lifestyle is certainly a factor but swimming pools have also closed. There are more private pools but they are too expensive for lots of children."
The figures are extracted from surveys of 4,000 11- to 18-year-olds conducted by the British Market Research Bureau every six months for the past 15 years. A total of 25% of 11-18 year olds reported swimming every week when the figures were first collected in 1993, compared with 12% today. The proportion who swim falls rapidly with age: this year 14% of the 11- to 15-year-olds said they swam weekly compared with 9% of the 16-18 year olds.
There are also marked geographical differences, with the highest levels of swimming in Wales, where 23% of 11-15 year olds swim once a week. At the opposite end of the scale, in London, 10% swim as regularly, with the same figure in Yorkshire and Humberside and the north of England.
The Welsh assembly funds free swimming for under-16s in school holidays, while in Scotland, England and Northern Ireland local authorities set tariffs.
The most comparable NHS figures on obesity show that in 2006 17.3% of boys and 14.7% of girls were obese compared with 10.9% and 12.0% in 1995.
<< Back to home | Next story >>