SOUTH African children score a D for health as they get fatter and more sedentary, according to a study released on Thursday by Discovery Health.The findings in the study by Vitality, the health incentive programme run by Discovery, shows the trend in children’s health is in the wrong direction. Being overweight and inactive increases the risk of life-threatening diseases.It is the third time the study has been done since 2007, when children scored an overall C-, the same grade as in 2010. It was conducted by researchers from six local institutions who drew on the past five years of published data to compile a report card on the health of children aged six to 18.They found only half were active enough, that children watched about three hours of TV a day during the week and more on weekends, and that the consumption of junk food was soaring.More than two-thirds of teenagers eat fast food at least three times a week, and South Africans drink three times the global average of some soft...
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