MultiSport Index Press Releases
Since the end of the pandemic, only a quarter of Czech children have started to move more, while another two-thirds have the same level of physical activity as before the pandemic according to the MultiSport Index survey. Despite 7 out of 10 parents claiming that their children have enough physical activity, the number of obese children in the Czech Republic has risen to almost a quarter of a million. This problem could cost the Czech healthcare system 11 billion Czech crowns annually. Two-thirds of Czech parents are calling for state support for their children’s physical activity.
Nowadays nearly a quarter of a million children in the Czech Republic suffer from obesity, which amounts to 231,000 children. This constitutes 16% of the total number of children between the ages of 5 and 17. Another tenth of them are overweight and 54% of obese children have a severe form of obesity, only two-thirds of children have a normal weight. The number of children with obesity in the Czech Republic increases by 4% each year. One of the many causes is the lack of physical activity, which only two-thirds of Czech children returned to after the pandemic. This was revealed by the MultiSport Index survey conducted by the NMS agency since 2019.
“The numbers are alarming and indicate that we can talk about a children’s obesity crisis in the Czech Republic. Children’s obesity and adolescence endangers the physical and mental health of individuals, affects the quality of their lives and increases the costs of healthcare, where children have to attend treatment stays. However, these treatments often do not end successfully and children return to the resorts repeatedly,” warns Associate Professor Dalibor Pastucha, a pediatrician and a physical education doctor from the Faculty of Medicine at Ostrava University.
One treatment stay of an obese child costs an average of 50,000 Czech crowns. One treatment stay of an obese child costs an average of 50,000 Czech crowns. The state could thus save 11 billion Czech crowns annually through a regular physical activity for children.
Obese Children in the Czech Republic
of the Total Number of Children Between the Age of 5 and 17
of Children Did not Return to a Physical Activity After Covid-19
Czech Crowns Is the Cost of Treating One Obese Child
Czech Crowns Is the Cost of Treating Obese Children in the Czech Healthcare System
The increase in the children’s obesity and the decline of young athletes are likely challenges that Czechs won’t avoid, mainly due to the current financial situation in the Czech Republic. The increase in the children’s obesity and the decline of young athletes are likely challenges that Czechs won’t avoid, mainly due to the current financial situation in the Czech Republic. As shown by the MultiSport Index survey, more than one-fifth of parents do not spend any extra money on physical activities for their children. Similarly, 4 out of 10 parents invest up to 500 Czech crowns in their children’s sports activities.
“As our survey shows, 6 out of 10 parents, the same as last year, believe that the state does not sufficiently motivate their children to engage in sports and are calling for state support. Regular physical activities for children are the base for their future healthy and high-quality life. Support for sports by the state is more important than ever in the current challenging financial situation combined with the children’s obesity crisis. Already, the average financial expenses of Czechs on sports have increased by 18% over the last year. We are trying to motivate Czechs for a regular physical activity so that the current decline in athletes does not deepen,” says Miroslav Rech.
The treatment of the children’s obesity is primarily influenced by the child’s environment. As the survey shows, children, whose parents and other household members do not engage in sports, do not actively participate in any sport themselves. In cases where neither the parent nor the immediate family members engage in sports, 53% of Czech children do not engage in physical activity on the regular basis. However, the only prevention for children’s obesity is indeed an adequate amount of regular physical activity.
“The treatment of an obese child generally lasts two years and its success rate is roughly five percent. In high-quality facilities, the success rate of treatment can reach up to 80%. Therefore, the most effective prevention is an adequate and, above all, regular physical activity. A preschool-age child should be active for 80% of their waking hours. A school-age child should engage in physical activity for a minimum of 60 minutes per day, which is approximately 12,000 steps,” concludes Associate Professor Dalibor Pastucha.
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