The Let’s Play 2016 State of Play Survey, commissioned by Dr Pepper Snapple Group, revealed that only one out of three children participates in daily active play.
The findings were based on the results of a recent national survey of parents with children ages 3-17. Dr Pepper Snapple Group noted that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that kids have at least 60 minutes of daily physical activity.
The Dr Pepper Snapple Group survey also shows that there also appears to be a significant drop in daily active play when most children head off to kindergarten. Half of 4-year-olds get active daily playtime, compared to 31 percent of 5-year-olds.
What’s preventing kids from getting their active play? Nearly two-thirds of respondents (64 percent) believe technology (TV, video games and other electronic devices) and busy schedules are the biggest barriers to their child’s active play. And for more than half (55 percent of parents), the costs of sports equipment and participation fees can also be prohibitive.
DPS launched its Let’s Play Initiative in 2011 to help tackle this play deficit. Since then, the company has partnered with national nonprofit KaBOOM! to build or improve more than 2,300 playgrounds across North America. In 2014, DPS expanded Let’s Play to include a partnership with Good Sports, donating to date nearly 90,000 pieces of sports equipment to athletic, physical education and after-school programs serving primarily underprivileged youths across the U.S.
“Through Let’s Play, we’re working to provide more opportunities to play and instill at an early age the importance of daily physical activity,” said Vicki Draughn, DPS vice president of corporate affairs. “Our latest survey reveals challenges in ensuring kids get enough play time every day, which is why we take this commitment seriously.”
The 2016 State of Play Survey polled 1,002 adults ages 18 or older in the continental U.S. with at least one child between the ages of 3 and 17 years old.
