French teenagers aren’t getting enough exercise

Physical activity helps protect against many chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and overweight or obesity. In young people, physical activity improves cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness, metabolic health, and bone health, and helps them maintain a healthy weight.

However, according to the results of the Esteban¹ study among children aged 6–17, only 50.7% of boys and 33.3% of girls met the WHO recommendation: to engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day.

There is also a marked decline in physical activity after age 10, which is more pronounced among girls: in the 11–14 age group, 33.7% of boys and 20.2% of girls meet this recommendation.

Furthermore, the proportion of young people spending 3 hours or more in front of a screen each day reached 45% among 6- to 10-year-olds, 70% among 11- to 14-year-olds, 71% among girls, and 87% among boys aged 15 to 17.

These trends may have worsened further due to the constraints associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in recent years.

A comprehensive program for parents and teens

Because lifestyle habits in young people predict their behaviors as adults, Santé publique France has developed a program for parents and adolescents, featuring new digital tools that provide information and incentives to encourage physical activity among young people and reduce their sedentary lifestyles.

A component to engage parents

Parents have a significant influence on their children’s physical activity at an age when decision-making and mobility are limited. Parents therefore hold a crucial lever for promoting physical activity among children and adolescents. Parents serve first and foremost as role models for their children, who may mimic their behaviors. Beyond this role-modeling function, parents can provide various forms of support, whether logistical (e.g., signing up for physical activities, transportation to the activity site) or motivational (e.g., encouragement).

To understand parents’ attitudes toward their children’s physical activity, Santé publique France conducted a qualitative study2 in collaboration with Kantar Public. This study shows that physical activity recommendations for children and adolescents are not widely known. Furthermore, the perception that a child’s level of physical activity is sufficient is common; this perception is based on non-objective criteria (“he isn’t overweight,” “he feels good,” “he plays sports at school”), all of which contribute to the feeling that the child is sufficiently active. These findings come from the study conducted in France but are also reported in the international literature.

In this context, starting September 1 and running for one month, Santé publique France will launch a campaign aimed at parents, with the goal of highlighting the importance of parental support and helping parents encourage their teenagers to engage in more physical activity and be less sedentary. For young people, physical activity can involve playing a sport, whether team-based or individual. It can also involve outdoor activities, such as walking, biking, riding a scooter, skateboarding, or rollerblading to get to school, an activity, or to see friends; taking the dog for a walk; or choosing the stairs over the elevator. The campaign consists of a film broadcast on TV, online, and in movie theaters. The film explores the daily lives of parents who may struggle to encourage their teens to be more active. Its goal is to recognize parents’ efforts and help them stay motivated. It invites them to visit mangerbouger.fr to find tips and solutions.

Three radio spots round out the audiovisual campaign, maintaining a dynamic, lighthearted tone with a positive message that encourages perseverance. In addition, Santé publique France provides the following on mangerbouger.fr:

• A test to help them assess their teens’ level of physical activity.

• A dedicated page with tips and advice to help them find ways to get their teens moving.

A second phase aimed directly at teenagers

In October, the campaign for teens will launch and run through November, inviting them to take on a daily physical activity challenge.
Every day on the Snapchat account @EnModeDeter—created specifically for the campaign—teens will discover a fun physical activity challenge to tackle, either alone or with friends. The format and duration of the challenges will vary to encourage young people to be more active while having fun.
In addition, once a week, a celebrity popular with teens will launch “the challenge of the week” on Snapchat and TikTok. This is a contest offering the chance to win a sports or cultural activity.

The @EnModeDeter account will also share “good vibes”: information on physical activity, tips for moving more, and recommendations.