The Lifestyles of Affluent Young People Ages 9 to 15 Years: A Case Study

<jats:sec sec-type="background"><jats:title>Background:</jats:title><jats:p>There are concerns about the future health of young people due to inactive lifestyles. However, evidence about their physical activity levels is not extensive, especially with regard to affluent young people. This study aimed to investigate whether young people from affluent backgrounds met public health recommendations for physical activity.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec sec-type="methods"><jats:title>Methods:</jats:title><jats:p>Diary accounts of lifestyle activity were collected from 219 students ages 9 to 15 y attending a fee-paying school in England.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec sec-type="results"><jats:title>Results:</jats:title><jats:p>Pupils spent an average of 121 min per day participating in physical activities of at least moderate intensity, considerably more than public health recommendations of 60 min per day. However, almost a quarter of these young people engaged in less than 60 min of physical activity per day of at least moderate intensity.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec sec-type="conclusions"><jats:title>Conclusions:</jats:title><jats:p>The picture to emerge was one of a balance between sedentary pursuits like television and homework and physical activities such as sport and active play.</jats:p></jats:sec>