Many youngsters today lead a sedentary life and spend increasing amounts of their leisure time watching TV or playing on the computer. Unlike children of generations ago, modern Malaysian children are also restricted from exploring their surroundings on foot or by bicycle due to safety reasons, including road safety. Young people’s mobility today is also becoming more car-based, with fewer cycling and walking, especially to school.
As children are increasingly transported by car, traffic danger increases, conditions for cycling or walking (eg: to school) are made increasingly unpleasant and fewer children walk or cycle to school. This serves again to discourage cycling and leads to greater car use, which provokes parents into further thinking that roads are too dangerous, hence a vicious circle is created.
Research has shown that independent mobility helps make children more active and self-confident, and helps them learn vital road sense. Research has also shown that independent mobility and being able to be outdoors without supervision is essential for children’s personal and social development.
There are many benefits from this move, among them:
-- Cycling is a good way to encourage children to do regular exercise. Regular cycling increases activity levels of children. The World Health Organisation recommends that young people should aim to be active for over 1 hour per day. Children who do not exercise regularly risk becoming overweight or even obese, with all its attending health risks.
-- Encouraging cycling in youngsters provides opportunity to modify travel behaviour and alter the travel habits of the next generation. Patterns and habits of adult life are formed during childhood. Research suggests that when children are encouraged to cycle from a young age, they often continue to cycle as adults.
As children are increasingly transported by car, traffic danger increases, conditions for cycling or walking (eg: to school) are made increasingly unpleasant and fewer children walk or cycle to school. This serves again to discourage cycling and leads to greater car use, which provokes parents into further thinking that roads are too dangerous, hence a vicious circle is created.
Research has shown that independent mobility helps make children more active and self-confident, and helps them learn vital road sense. Research has also shown that independent mobility and being able to be outdoors without supervision is essential for children’s personal and social development.
There are many benefits from this move, among them:
-- Cycling is a good way to encourage children to do regular exercise. Regular cycling increases activity levels of children. The World Health Organisation recommends that young people should aim to be active for over 1 hour per day. Children who do not exercise regularly risk becoming overweight or even obese, with all its attending health risks.
-- Encouraging cycling in youngsters provides opportunity to modify travel behaviour and alter the travel habits of the next generation. Patterns and habits of adult life are formed during childhood. Research suggests that when children are encouraged to cycle from a young age, they often continue to cycle as adults.
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