{"id":2817,"date":"2025-09-14T17:24:36","date_gmt":"2025-09-14T14:24:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.powerup.city\/?p=2817"},"modified":"2026-03-05T09:04:02","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T09:04:02","slug":"bahrains-children-and-the-fitness-gap-why-only-one-in-five-gets-enough-exercise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.powerup.city\/bh\/magazine\/bahrains-children-and-the-fitness-gap-why-only-one-in-five-gets-enough-exercise\/","title":{"rendered":"Bahrain\u2019s Children and the Fitness Gap – Why Only One in Five Gets Enough Exercise\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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In Bahrain\u2019s malls, playgrounds, and classrooms, a quiet health challenge is unfolding. According to international studies, just <\/span>20% of children worldwide<\/span><\/b> meet the World Health Organization\u2019s (WHO) recommendation of at least <\/span>60 minutes of physical activity daily<\/span><\/b>. In Bahrain, where lifestyle trends increasingly mirror global patterns of high screen time and low movement, the concern is just as real.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

What does this mean for the health, learning, and happiness of Bahrain\u2019s young generation\u2014and what can parents do to change it?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The Movement Deficit <\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The WHO guidelines stress daily physical activity to build strong bones, muscles, and mental resilience in children. Yet research highlights the opposite trend: kids spending <\/span>three or more hours per day on screens<\/span><\/b>, from gaming consoles to TikTok scrolling.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u201cToo little exercise in childhood isn\u2019t just about weight gain,\u201d explains <\/span>Prof. Christine Joisten, sports physician at the German Sport University Cologne<\/span><\/b>. \u201cIt affects sleep, mood, school performance, and even long-term risks like type 2 diabetes.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

In Bahrain, pediatricians have also flagged the risks of rising childhood obesity. According to the <\/span>National Health Survey (2018)<\/span><\/b>, nearly <\/span>15% of Bahraini children are obese<\/span><\/b>, a figure climbing steadily in recent years Source: Bahrain Ministry of Health.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Why It Matters Here <\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Academic Performance<\/span><\/b>: Children who exercise regularly show stronger memory and focus\u2014skills directly linked to better school results.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Mental Wellbeing<\/span><\/b>: Exercise improves confidence and reduces anxiety, vital as teens face exam pressure and social challenges.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Family Health<\/span><\/b>: Bahrain\u2019s rising rates of diabetes and cardiovascular disease begin with habits formed in childhood.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The Children\u2019s Activity Pyramid <\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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One solution is simple: build more movement into everyday life. Experts use the \u201cChildren\u2019s Activity Pyramid\u201d as a guide:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Base layer<\/span><\/b>: Small daily movements\u2014walking to school, helping at home, biking to a friend\u2019s house.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Middle layer<\/span><\/b>: Fun play\u2014jumping rope, football in the park, tag games, rollerblading.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Top layer<\/span><\/b>: Sport sessions\u2014basketball, swimming, martial arts, or dance\u2014at least twice a week.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Bahrain already has growing opportunities: community football pitches, open-air gyms in Manama, and after-school sports clubs<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Local Inspiration <\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Bahraini triathlete <\/span><\/span>Mico <\/span>Faminial<\/span><\/span>, who trains for endurance events while raising funds for charity, uses his platform to encourage young people to embrace movement. His motto: <\/span><\/span>\u201cStart <\/span>small but<\/span> stay consistent.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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How to Turn Screen Time into Move Time <\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Tech as a tool<\/span><\/b>: Apps like <\/span>Pok\u00e9mon GO<\/span><\/i> or fitness trackers can gamify movement.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Family challenges<\/span><\/b>: Who can do the most jumping jacks before dinner? Who climbs the stairs fastest?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Role modelling<\/span><\/b>: Children copy what they see\u2014so if parents hit the gym or walk daily, kids follow.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u201cParents are the most important motivators,\u201d says Prof. Joisten. \u201cIf you cycle to the shop instead of driving, your children learn that activity is normal.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Quick Guide for Bahrain Parents <\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Encourage <\/span>at least 60 minutes<\/span><\/b> of active play or sport daily.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Replace some screen time with <\/span>family walks, swimming, or cycling<\/span><\/b>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Explore <\/span>community sports clubs<\/span><\/b> (football, boxing, martial arts, padel).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Be an <\/span>active role model<\/span><\/b>\u2014kids mirror your habits.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Celebrate <\/span>movement as fun<\/span><\/b>, not a chore.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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#PowerUpCity #BahrainFitness #ManamaWellness #HealthyKidsBH #BahrainLifestyle<\/span><\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Bahrain\u2019s malls, playgrounds, and classrooms, a quiet health challenge is unfolding. According to international…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2818,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_angie_page":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","page_builder":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[100],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2817","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fitness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.powerup.city\/bh\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2817","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.powerup.city\/bh\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.powerup.city\/bh\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.powerup.city\/bh\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.powerup.city\/bh\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2817"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.powerup.city\/bh\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2817\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.powerup.city\/bh\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2818"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.powerup.city\/bh\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2817"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.powerup.city\/bh\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2817"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.powerup.city\/bh\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2817"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}