Two nonprofit organizations that encourage children to walk to school and get more exercise found that many parents may have misplaced priorities.
- Their survey of 1,000 parents of primary school aged children found that more parents worry about stranger abduction and murder than whether their children are physically fit.
- Only 5% feared for their children's health in later life due to insufficient physical activity.
- Half the parents underestimated the amount of physical activity every child needs.
These misperceptions can lead to serious problems, as parental influence on kids' activity levels can be significant.
"The findings from the survey by Parentline Plus and Living Streets indicate that stranger danger and road traffic accidents are real concern to parents and caregivers of primary school children who choose to drive their children to school," said Jeremy Todd, chief executive of ParentLine Plus.
"We are deeply concerned that the number of children walking to school is dropped to an all-time low," said Tony Armstrong, chief executive of Living Streets. "It is certainly not wrong for parents to fear road accidents and abduction, but it is wrong that fear for children's health is on the back burner."
He noted that children have a one in a million chance of being killed by a stranger.
Posted By: Jane St. Clair
