Half the children in India do not have a healthy BMI (18.5-22.9), finds a nationwide survey conducted by an edu-sports company to gauge the fitness level of children. Almost 66% children lack desired aerobic capacity and 33% had poor anaerobic capacity, the survey finds. Conducted in the academic year 2020, the survey covered 2,54,681 children in the age group of 7 to 17 years from 364 schools – both private and government across 250 cities and towns.
One in six, or 16%, children didn’t have the desired upper abdominal or core strength and 50% children lacked upper body strength. Despite being young, 33% of the children were not adequately flexible. And 66% of children didn’t have enough lower body strength.