Fitness crisis: 95% students not physically active, reveals KAMS study
Bengaluru: A staggering 95% of school students are not engaging in physical activities, even during scheduled Physical Training (PT) periods, according to a recent study by the Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka (KAMS).
The findings, cited by The New Indian Express on Saturday, raise serious concerns about the deteriorating health and fitness levels among school children in the state.
The study was conducted following a sharp increase in health issues reported among students, including fatigue, low blood pressure, and early symptoms of cardiac-related conditions. Based on years of observations across schools, KAMS attributes these issues to a growing sedentary lifestyle, poor diet, and a disturbing lack of physical engagement both at home and in school.
“Structured opportunities for exercise and cultural involvement are being ignored by students, with many showing complete disinterest in physical or extracurricular engagement. Alarmingly, this withdrawal is often enabled by parents, who routinely seek exemptions from PT classes, citing vague complaints such as body pain or fatigue,” a release by KAMS stated.
KAMS General Secretary Shashi Kumar, during school visits, has personally observed the lack of participation. “Even during my school visits, I ask teachers to check how many students do any physical activity, be it jogging, exercise, or yoga. In most schools, you won’t find even 1 to 2 percent of students doing it regularly,” TNIE quoted Shashi Kumar, General Secretary, KAMS, as saying.
The association emphasised that this trend is not limited to the school environment but is deeply rooted in home settings. Poor nutritional choices, especially high consumption of processed and junk food, coupled with the lack of participation in household responsibility and excessive screen time, are contributing to reduced stamina and deteriorating physical health.
KAMS also raised alarm over the health of female students, who are increasingly displaying symptoms of anemia, low endurance, and other signs of malnutrition and inactivity. While some attribute these issues to post-COVID conditions or environmental changes, the association opined that most are lifestyle-related and preventable.
Stay fit, Grow strong: KAMS' four-point action plan
To address this growing concern, KAMS has proposed the following steps:
* Parents must take responsibility for ensuring daily physical activity at home
* Schools should accept exemptions from PT only on medical grounds
* Health education must begin at home
* Screen time and food habits should be actively monitored and corrected
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
8 dead, dozens wounded in Russian strike on Ukraine's Odesa port
Kyiv (AP): Eight people were killed and 27 wounded in a Russian missile strike on port infrastructure in Odesa, southern Ukraine, late on Friday, Ukraine's Emergency Service said on Saturday morning.
Some of the wounded were on a bus at the epicentre of the overnight strike, the service said in a Telegram post. Trucks caught fire in the parking lot, and cars were also damaged.
The port was struck with ballistic missiles, said Oleh Kiper, the head of the Odesa region.
ALSO READ: 'Have not received complaint yet': Delhi Police on assault by off-duty Air India Express pilot
Elsewhere, Ukrainian forces hit a Russian warship and other facilities with drones, Ukraine's General Staff said in a statement on Saturday.
The nighttime attack on Friday hit the Russian warship “Okhotnik,” according to the statement posted to the Telegram messaging app.
The ship was patrolling in the Caspian Sea near an oil and gas production platform. The extent of the damage is still being clarified, the statement added.
A drilling platform at the Filanovsky oil and gas field in the Caspian Sea was also hit. The facility is operated by Russian oil giant Lukoil. Ukrainian drones also struck a radar system in the Krasnosilske area of Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
