90% of Hong Kong pupils fail to exercise for 60 minutes a day, study finds

More than 90 per cent of Hong Kong school students have failed to meet the World Health Organization’s standard of exercising at least 60 minutes a day, a citywide university study has found.

The study, the results of which were shared on Saturday, collected data on the physical activities of 1,476 primary school pupils and 1,929 secondary students.

“Overall, the exercise level of children in Hong Kong is very insufficient,” said Patrick Ip Pak-keung, a clinical professor at the University of Hong Kong’s paediatrics and adolescent medicine department.

The study, conducted by Ip’s department, gathered data using special monitoring bracelets that students wore for several weeks during the 2023-2024 school year.

Researchers found that only 7.4 per cent of study participants managed to do a minimum of 60 minutes of medium to vigorous-intensity physical activity every day, the WHO’s benchmark for those aged five to 17.

The figure stood at 7.9 per cent in the previous school year.