The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about many changes to society - including limiting the opportunities children and adolescents have to be physically educated and active in schools, at home, and in communities. We have yet to understand the full impact of COVID-19 related school closures, cancellations of youth sports and other after-school and community-based physical activities on children and adolescents’ health. Disparities and limited access to resources have also accentuated the existing inequities that leave youth with fewer opportunities to be active. However, the lessons learned from these experiences have better positioned stakeholders to adjust and better advocate for improvements to promote physical activity in children and youth.
The Physical Activity Alliance is proud to release a series of papers, "Physical Activity Recommendations for Children and Adolescents: More Important Than Ever", with recommendations specific to each developmental level – elementary, middle school, and high school as well as sports across all developmental levels. The purpose of this series of papers is to outline key considerations for influencers, decision makers, and the public overall from all societal sectors of our population to take action to change or enhance the landscape of physical activity promotion for the overall health of our children and youth.
