Transcript

BRENDAN TREMBATH: For the first time since the mid nineties government scientists have asked a large number of Australian children about what they eat.

The survey also included questions about physical activity.

The scientists say obesity levels haven't changed significantly and most children get enough exercise.

But the amount of time spent in front of a screen of some kind has blown out to an average of nearly four hours a day.

Simon Lauder reports.

SIMON LAUDER: The CSIRO is calling it the most comprehensive survey ever taken of the diet and activity habits of Australian children. Last year more than 4,400 two to 16-year-olds were interviewed, along with their parents.

Professor Tim Olds is from the school of health sciences at the University of South Australia.

TIM OLDS: The last survey of physical activity in kids dates back to 1985, the last national survey. And the last national survey of the dietary intake of kids dates back to 1995 so it's 12 and 22 years respectively since we've had a good national snapshot.

SIMON LAUDER: The survey found 72 per cent of children are in the healthy weight range, but 17 per cent are overweight, 6 per cent are obese and 5 per cent are considered underweight.

TIM OLDS: One of the surprising findings is that there hasn't been much of an increase. In fact, it's pretty much plateaued over the last 10 years, the percentage of kids classified as overweight or obese, and that's encouraging news.

SIMON LAUDER: Less encouraging are the findings on the amount of time children spend watching TV and computer screens, what the survey calls 'screen time.'

TIM OLDS: An average of almost four hours per day, and that doesn't include the time accumulated during school. And so they really were quite shocking to me.

SIMON LAUDER: What are your concerns about the amount of screen time children are getting every day?

TIM OLDS: Firstly I don't think it's good for kids to be doing anything for that amount of time, even if they're trying to find a cure for cancer or learning to play the Moonlight Sonata. I think to devote that much time when you're a child to one thing is a kind of distortion.

SIMON LAUDER: What do you think is a safe level of screen time?

TIM OLDS: Well the guidelines recommend no more than two hours per day, that's outside school time or for entertainment rather than education. But very, very few kids meet that. There's about one chance in three that a child will meet that on any given day, and almost no child meets that every day of the week.

SIMON LAUDER: Despite Australia's children spending too much time staring at screens, the results on exercise levels are good. 69 per cent get the recommended one hour or more of moderate exercise per day.

The group that reports doing the least amount of physical activity is teenage girls.

TIM OLDS: If there's one group, which is the group of concern, it would be the older adolescent girls, the 14-16 year old girls, who show a really big drop off in physical activity.

SIMON LAUDER: Dr Jane Bowen from CSIRO Human Nutrition says the findings on the diets of teenage girls add to the concern.

Dr Bowen says 80 per cent of girls aged 14 to 16 don't consume enough calcium.

JANE BOWEN: Combined with low calcium intake, this group of girls has the least amount of physical activity, and they're both very important factors for bone health in girls.

BRENDAN TREMBATH: Dr Jane Bowen from the CSIRO, ending Simon Lauder's report.