European children are not strong anymore – level 3

07-08-2026 07:00

A new study has revealed European children and adolescents are in worse physical shape today than at almost any point over the last 60 years.

Researchers from the University of Zaragoza analyzed physical fitness data from over 417,000 young people aged 6 to 16 across 20 European countries. The findings show a worrying long-term decline in key health indicators, including muscular strength, flexibility, and overall body composition. Upper and lower body strength have steadily dropped since the 1980s, while flexibility has experienced the steepest decline, and accelerated sharply after 2000. Additionally, researchers noted a continuous increase in body fat levels among youth.

Health experts warn that physical inactivity severely threatens future well-being, as over 75% of European adolescents fail to meet the WHO’s recommendation of 60 minutes of daily physical activity.

Difficult words: indicator (a sign or measurement that shows the condition or state of something), composition (the balance of fat and muscle in a body), accelerate (to start moving faster or to happen more quickly than before).

You can watch the video news lower on this page.

News in Levels · European children are not strong anymore – level 3

What trends did researchers from the University of Zaragoza observe in upper and lower body strength, flexibility (including its change after 2000), body fat levels, and the proportion of adolescents meeting the WHO’s 60‑minute daily activity recommendation among over 417,000 young people aged 6–16 across 20 European countries?

LEARN 3000 WORDS with NEWS IN LEVELS

News in Levels is designed to teach you 3000 words in English. Please follow the instructions
below.

How to improve your English with News in Levels:

Test

Do the test at Test Languages.
Go to your level. Go to Level 1 if you know 1-1000 words. Go to Level 2 if you know 1000-2000 words. Go to Level 3 if you know 2000-3000 words.