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Canberra Today 13°/16° | Saturday, March 30, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

ACT kids leading the race in sport

ACT kids are leading the rest of the country in participation rates in sport, according to a recent survey by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The survey, which focused on the leisure activities of five to 14-year-olds, showed the ACT had the highest sporting participation rate in the country, at 73 per cent, compared to a national rate of 60 per cent.

The most popular sport for boys was outdoor soccer, while the majority of girls chose swimming and diving, followed by netball.

Participation was higher for children born in Australia (61 per cent) compared with those born overseas (52 per cent), and higher for children in couple families (64 per cent) compared with those living in one-parent families (48 per cent).

On average, children spent five hours in the last school fortnight playing and training in organised sport outside of school hours.

Meanwhile, the proportion of children reading for recreation has declined, dropping from 75 per cent to 71 per cent since 2006.

The number of children watching TV, DVDs or videos fell by two per cent from 2009, while the proportion of children participating in other screen-based activities (including the use of a computer, the internet and games consoles) rose from 83 per cent in 2009 to 85 per cent.

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Ian Meikle, editor

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