(Transcript from SBS World News Radio)
An international study has found that Australian children are among some of the least active in the world.
And among the worst affected are children from migrant and refugee communities.
Naomi Selvaratnam reports.
(Click on the audio tab above to hear the full report)
Australian children are at the bottom of the class - in physical activity.
The international study into sports participation throughout 14 countries has found Aussie children are among the worst on the planet for overall sports participation, receiving a D minus for physical activity.
The researchers are convinced: technology is to blame.
Lead researcher of the Australian arm of the report, Dr Tim Olds explains.
"If you only have one television in the home, you can have rules, you can watch kids, you can restrict them. But when there are so many devices, it's pretty hard to keep all of those things out of the kids' bedroom."
The result means Australian children are now equal with the US and Canada.
The study also reported a pattern of poorer health among migrant and refugee communities in Australia.
Dr Olds says this is due to different priorities for migrant and refugee parents.
"We know for example that Asians from South East Asia and China are less active than Australians and Europeans. And we know that Australians of Indian origin are less active than Australians of European origin. Mainly because they don't value those things as Europeans, they value other things such as study and entreprenurial success."
But not everyone fits the pattern.
Abaak Mayoun from South Sudan migrated to Australia in 2004.
She says her children are heavily involved in sports, and this participation increased when they migrated.
"If child stay home it's not healthy for them. They like to do running, they like to do swimming."
And the cause for poor sports participation?
CEO of the Immigrant Women's Health Serivce, Dr Eman Sharobeem says you can look no further than parents.
"To change the child, you need to look into the parents' attitude first. "
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