Local youth shows improved physical fitness but tends to be fatter

Pun Weng Kun (right) during the report’s presentation

Macau residents’ overall physical fitness has improved 1.89 points, according to the Sports Bureau’s (ID) latest report. However, the obesity rate among children aged between three to 16 has increased compared to 2010, as shown in the ID’s Evaluation of Physical Fitness of Macau Population of 2015.
In 2015, the ID, together with several educational institutions, commenced a third assessment that followed two previous evaluations made in 2005 and 2010.
The departments collected data from a total of 10,235 local residents aged between three to 59 years of age, with more than 20 indicators involved in the statistics.
Among children aged three to five, the obesity rate is between 3.9 and 11.4 percent for boys, and between 2.3 to 3.5 percent for girls.
The obesity rate for those aged between six to 16 also shows an upward trend as children age. The obesity rate of girls varies from 15.8 to 22.7 percent. The percentage of boys who are categorized as obese ranges from 15.2 to 21.3 percent.
Pun Weng Kun, director of ID, said, “Overall, we are happy with the results of the 2015 report. I believe we still need to work hard and there is room for improvement.”
Fitness indexes for people below 59 years of age are all slightly better than the ones of 2010. However, those above 59 show a decrease in fitness performance compared to five years ago.
Physical fitness and physical function of those aged between three to 59 are all slightly better than those of the same age group evaluated in 2010.
Most noticeably, young people aged six to 22 are showing declines in indicators of physical shape, such as height and shoulder width. The figure is 0.9 points less than the previous report. A similar downward trend occurred in people in their 20s and 30s.
Pun hopes that, through future measures implemented by the government, the Macau public can engage in more sports and follow a healthier diet in order to improve overall physical fitness. JZ