Figures released today revealing that just one in six Australian teenagers meet the recommended guidelines for physical activity is not surprising.
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Yet it is an alarming statistic that will cost individuals and taxpayers long into the future if the figures aren't reversed with haste.
Preventative health is key to living a long life and the best way to avoid long hospital waiting lists.
However, the latest Cancer Council National Secondary Students Diet and Activity study shows that just 60 per cent of children aged 12 to 17 reach the recommended 60 minutes of daily exercise at least four days a week.
Many fall short and aren't establishing good habits for adulthood and are at risk of obesity, ill-mental health, cancers and many other preventable health conditions.
But when school sport is no longer a high education priority and in a technology-dominated world, the statistics shouldn't shock.
Being involved in community sport has long been associated with good physical and mental health outcomes, yet clubs are finding it increasingly difficult to retain and recruit players.
So how do we buck the declining trend?
Federal investment in preventative health strategies is estimated to represent about 1.6 per cent of overall health spending.
The Tasmanian government spends $70 million on preventative health, about 1.5 per cent of the state's health budget.
However, stakeholders including the Australian Health Promotion Association, says this should be much higher at 6 per cent.
Despite three in four students agreeing that both their school and parents encourage them to undertake sports and physical activities more must be done to promote the benefits and allow students the time.
Systems and environments must be in place for all young Australians to take part in sport or exercise.
The State of Public Health 2018 report, which is released every five years, painted a bleak picture for Tasmanians and their health and wellbeing. It's time individuals and governments took more responsibility to invest in their health or continue to suffer the consequences both physically and financially.