(Newser)
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American children stop getting enough exercise by the time they reach their teens, according to a new study. Researchers tracked more than 1,000 children and discovered that those who averaged three hours of exercise a day at age 9 barely managed 30 minutes of physical activity at 15, reports HealthDay. A lack of exercise is linked to childhood obesity. Experts recommend children get at least an hour a day of moderate to vigorous activity.
"Kids' activity is decreasing dramatically between 9 and 15," said the pediatrics professor who authored the study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. "Physical education is being done away with in some places, and so is recess. Kids used to run around and ride their bikes everywhere, and kids used to walk to school. Now, parents drive them."
