th

9
Annual Health
Survey
Academic year 2018-2019
Sportz Village Schools' Annual Health Survey was launched 9 years ago to
understand the overall health and fitness levels of children in schools. The survey
reveals that children are displaying alarmingly poor fitness levels all across India. The
nationwide study has covered 1,53,441 children in the age groups of 7 years to 17
years from 279 schools across 113 cities and towns in 21 states.
The survey assessed the fitness levels of the children on the following parameters:

Ÿ Body Mass Index (BMI) : A value derived from the weight and
height of an individual and is used to gauge whether a person is
within a healthy weight range.
Ÿ Aerobic capacity : The ability of the heart and lungs to get
oxygen to the muscles.
Ÿ Anaerobic capacity : The total amount of energy from the
anaerobic (without oxygen) energy systems. It is useful during
high intensity short duration exercises or tasks such as
sprinting.
Ÿ Abdominal or Core strength: The strength of the muscles of
the torso which helps to determine posture.
Ÿ Flexibility : The ability of one's joints to move freely.
Ÿ Upper body strength : The strength of muscles such as
Pectorals (chest), Rhomboids (upper back), Deltoids (outer
shoulder), Triceps (back of upper arm) and Biceps (front of
upper arm).
Ÿ Lower body strength : The strength of muscles in the legs such
as quadriceps (the muscles on the front of the upper leg),
Hamstrings ( the muscles on the back of the upper leg),
Gluteals, Hip Flexors, and Calf muscles.

Key findings:

1 in 2 children do 2 in 3 children do 1 in 5 children do

2 in 5 children
not have the not have the not have the
do not have
adequate upper adequate lower desired abdominal
healthy BMI.
body strength. body strength. strength.

2 in 3 children do 1 in 3 children do
1 in 3 children do
not have the not possess the
not posses the
desired aerobic desired anaerobic
desired flexibility.
capacity. capacity.

The study showed that only 60% of the children had healthy BMI. Although the current
data is alarming, there has been a 50 % (40 % to 60 % of children having healthy BMI)
increase in the number of children with a healthy BMI as compared to last year. There has
also been an improvement in the number of children having ideal upper body strength
(50 % increase), flexibility (33 % increase) and anaerobic capacity (100 % increase).

3
9th Annual Health Survey
Academic year 2018-2019
 Private schools versus government
schools
The survey further shows that only 47% government school children had a healthy
BMI (as compared to 61% for private school children). The percentage of
government school children who are underweight is exceedingly high (39%) as
compared to private school children (15%). Despite this, government school children
are healthier than the private school children in various fitness parameters such as
lower body strength, flexibility, aerobic and anaerobic capacity.

Private schools versus government schools

90%
81% 82%
80%
72% 72%
70% 67%
64%
% of children with healthy scores

60%
52%
50% 44% 44%
38%
40%
33%

30% 24%

20%

10%

0%
Upper body Lower body Abdominal Flexibility Aerobic Anerobic
strength strength strength capacity capacity

Private schools Government schools

4
9th Annual Health Survey
Academic year 2018-2019
Regional trends
Across all regions, more than two-third of the children do not have healthy BMI. The
northern, western, central and southern parts of India all have shown close to 40% of the
children having poor BMI. The east lags behind with 51 % of the children having
unhealthy BMI.
BMI - Regional comparison
70%
61% 62% 61%
60%
60% 51%
49%
50%
40% 39% 39%
38%
Percentage

40%
Healthy
30% Unhealthy

20%

10%

0%
Central East North West South
Regions

Fitness levels comparative analysis: Girls versus boys

90%
81%
80%
68%
70% 66% 63% 63%
60% 55%
Percentage

50%
50%
41% 40% Boys
40% 33% 30% Girls
30% 22%
20%
10%
0%
Upper body Lower body Abdominal Flexibility Aerobic Anerobic
strength strength strength capacity capacity
% children with healthy scores

The survey further shows that girls fared slightly better with 63% of them having
healthy BMI as compared to 59% of the boys. Girls were observed to be fitter than
boys in several fitness parameters such as upper body strength, abdominal strength
and flexibility. However, the boys outscored the girls in the fitness parameters of lower
body strength and aerobic capacity.

5
9th Annual Health Survey
Academic year 2018-2019
Importance of schools in
maintaining fitness
Although the study shows a cause for concern, it also highlights the ways in which we
can rectify the situation. A comparative fitness assessment for all children was done
before and after their annual summer break. It was observed that during break, there
was a drastic drop in the fitness levels of children across all the parameters. This
shows that schools play an important role in helping to keep children healthy. When
children lose access to the sports infrastructure and regular sports programs that
schools provide, their fitness is negatively impacted.

After summer break Significant drop in performance of

children in all the parameters
Before summer break
31.2
28.7

21.6 21.2
18.9
16.2
14.4
13.1

7.0 7.3
3.7 3.5
1.2 1.1

Beep test 30 meter No. of No. of Standing Medicine Sit & Reach
(No. of laps) speed sit ups sit ups broad jump ball throw (centimetres)
test (sec.) (in 1 min) (in 30 sec.) (meters) (meters)

Aerobic Anaerobic Lower body Upper body

Abdominal strength Flexibility
capacity capacity strength strength

Average performance of children in fitness parameters

6
9th Annual Health Survey
Academic year 2018-2019
Saumil Majmudar, CEO Sportz Village Schools, says “Although the high percentage
of unhealthy children is alarming, we still have an indication of how we could rectify
the situation. The study reinforces the idea that schools, by providing play spaces, act
as catalysts for maintaining the fitness of children. In the current context, when there
is a lack of safe play-spaces in many cities, schools are the only places where children
have the opportunity to play. This also reinforces the need and importance of
effectively utilizing and structuring any available play time in schools so that all the
children benefit from the program – and not just the school teams.”
 info@edusports.in

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