Taiwanese children lacking adequate exercise: survey

The poll of fourth, fifth and sixth graders in Taiwan showed that 44 percent of students at those levels of elementary school engage in physical activities less than three days per week.

Whether they live in urban or rural areas, many of them stay at home on weekends or holidays, according to the survey, which was released one day before International Children's Rights Day.

Some 35 percent of children in Taiwan spend an average five hours a day watching TV on holidays, while 56 percent said it is very hard to find fun outdoor places in Taiwan.

CWLF CEO Wang Yu-ming said Taiwan children tend to stay indoors for a number of reasons.

Children in urban areas prefer to stay at home and play video games or watch TV, while many of those in rural areas are being raised by their grandparents and thus do not have the opportunity to go out for picnics or entertainment, Wang said.

Around 80 percent of urban children in Taiwan go on pleasure trips twice a year on average, while those from rural areas on average do not get out even once in an entire year, according to the survey.

In the countryside, one in every 10 children live with their grandparents, which is triple the average national ratio.

According to Wang, some 27 percent of the children in rural areas are from low-income families — twice the percentage in the cities — and 60 percent of them lack adequate learning resources.

Meanwhile, on the issue of parent-child relationship, the poll found that children from both the city and the countryside have poor relationships with their parents. About 70 percent of the children in Taiwan have meals with their parents, lower than the 79 percent in developed countries, the survey indicated.

Taiwan ranked at the bottom of the parent-child category, among the 41 countries polled.

In the area of psychological health, the poll found that city children tend to be more depressed than rural children, despite a better living and educational environment.

Twenty-three percent of urban children have had suicidal thoughts, while 40 percent have no sense of self-worth, according to the survey.

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