Obesity among adolescents is on the rise in France
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00:00 An increasing number of adolescents are overweight.
00:03 In France, this is the case for 17% of boys and 18% of girls aged 15 to 17, according
00:10 to the French public health agency.
00:12 Sedentary hobbies, which are popular among this age group, are partly to blame.
00:17 Consequently, physical fitness has plummeted among young people by 40% in around 40 years,
00:23 a decline that has affected French teenagers.
00:26 "So today, when I speak to PE teachers, because we work with them and expect a lot from them,
00:31 they tell me that out of six children in the sixth grade, there are four who can't do four
00:36 hops in a row.
00:37 A 65-year-old man today has a better physical capacity than an 11-year-old school child."
00:42 The result?
00:43 Young people in poorer health who can develop obesity as early as childhood.
00:49 "For us, obesity is a chronic and complex disease whose main determinant is genetics,
00:55 which is brought out and worsened by environmental factors, including sedentary lifestyles."
01:02 In France, 4% of 6 to 17-year-olds are obese.
01:06 To limit the risk of becoming obese, the World Health Organization recommends one hour of
01:10 physical activity per day.