Active Healthy Kids Philippines

May your Christmas be full of joy and your New Year full of energy and good health!

- Active Healthy Kids Philippines

Regular physical activity provides significant physical and mental health benefits.

✅Children & young people (5–17 years) should engage in an average of 60 min of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily.
✅Adults (18–64 years) should aim for 150–300 min of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week to stay healthy.

https://who.int/initiatives/behealthy/physical-activity

🥳 Celebrating Inclusion on International Day of Persons with Disabilities! 🥳

Today, December 3rd, we honor the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD), a day dedicated to promoting the rights and well-being of all persons with disabilities in every sphere of society.

This is the perfect time to reflect on the 2022 Philippine Para Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Adolescents with Disabilities. This vital report provides a baseline on the physical activity levels and related factors affecting Filipino children and adolescents with disabilities (CAWD).

🇵🇭 Key Takeaways from the Report Card
The 2022 Para Report Card revealed both opportunities and significant challenges:

* Low Organized Sports Participation: The indicator for Organized Sports was graded F (less than 20% meeting the benchmark). This highlights a critical need for more opportunities for CAWD to be active and healthy through sports.

* Data Gaps: Most indicators, such as Overall Physical Activity, Active Play, Physical Fitness, and Family & Peers, were graded INC (Incomplete) due to the limited availability of nationally representative data. This lack of information makes it difficult to design targeted, evidence-based interventions.

* Areas of Strength (with room for improvement): The Government indicator received a respectable B, suggesting good policy efforts, but the low grades in organized sports participation and the lack of overall physical activity data show that translating these policies into measurable and accessible programs is still a major hurdle.

The findings of this report card underscore the core mission of IDPD. The lack of sufficient physical activity and the gaps in data show that systemic barriers—attitudinal, environmental, and informational—are still preventing Filipino children and adolescents with disabilities from fully enjoying their rights to a healthy life and participation in sports.

Physical activity is a fundamental human right and a crucial component of well-being and social inclusion.

Let’s use this International Day of Persons with Disabilities to call for:

* Stronger Data Collection: We need to prioritize national surveillance to get a complete picture of the physical activity situation for CAWD.

* Accessible Opportunities: We must create truly inclusive sports programs, schools, and community environments that remove all barriers to participation.

* Policy to Practice: We need to ensure that government policies are effectively implemented on the ground to benefit every child.

Let's work together to foster a Philippines where every child and adolescent, regardless of ability, has the chance to play, move, and thrive!



What simple change can you make today to promote greater physical activity and inclusion for persons with disabilities in your community? Share your ideas below! 👇

We would like to see Physical literacy in OECD PISA 2029! Let us support this global effort!

Fiona Chambers and Gregor Jurak are leading an effort to include Physical Literacy in PISA 2029. The AHKGA and other global organizations are already supporting. Contact Fiona ([email protected])… | Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance Fiona Chambers and Gregor Jurak are leading an effort to include Physical Literacy in PISA 2029. The AHKGA and other global organizations are already supporting. Contact Fiona ([email protected]) and Gregor ([email protected]) to learn more https://lnkd.in/dP_Z3PsD

[UPDATES]

We're thrilled to announce that the 2026 Philippine Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Adolescents is in the works! Building on the success of our inaugural report in 2022, we're diligently preparing for its launch in November 2026.

Our dedicated working group has just finalized the rigorous grading of all assignments and is now hard at work compiling the data and insights for the 2026 version.

We will be revisiting and reposting the grades of the indicators published in the 2022 report in the next coming months to review our previous grades.

Stay tuned for updates as we get closer to the launch! Your support helps us advocate for healthier, more active futures for children and adolescents across the Philippines.

🇵🇭

One of the reasons why we need to regulate recreational screen time use of our children.

High levels of total screen time and TV and digital media in young children were associated with lower achievement levels in reading and math on standardized tests in elementary school. https://ja.ma/4n2KvVJ

🧠💚 World Mental Health Day | 10 October 2025 💚🧠
“There is no health without mental health.” - World Health Organization (WHO)

First observed in 1992, World Mental Health Day reminds us that mental health is essential to overall health and wellbeing. Small steps can make a big difference!

Some ideas for your World Mental Health Day:
✅ Join a challenge or invite a friend to walk with you - connect, move, and feel good with 10,000 Steps:
🌐 https://www.10000steps.org.au/
👟 Join a Heart Foundation Walking group and connect with your local community:
🌐 https://www.10000steps.org.au/learn-and-discover/heart-foundation-walking/
🧠 Take the first step toward a healthier lifestyle with free support from My health for life.
🌐https://www.10000steps.org.au/learn-and-discover/my-health-for-life/
👟 Check out events and join the community at Queensland Walks:
🌐https://www.10000steps.org.au/learn-and-discover/queensland-walks/
🥗 Cook something nourishing and colourful with your friends or family with Country Kitchens:
🌐https://www.10000steps.org.au/learn-and-discover/qcwa-country-kitchens/
👣 Discover a new walking trail and enjoy the fresh air with Outdoors Queensland:
🌐https://www.10000steps.org.au/learn-and-discover/outdoors-queensland/
🖤💛❤️Stay active and strong for your health, your community, and your future with Deadly Choices.
🌐https://www.10000steps.org.au/learn-and-discover/deadly-choices/
🌱 Get the kids involved in growing, tasting, and loving the .
🌐https://hw.qld.gov.au/pick-of-the-crop/
👟Get started on your physical activity journey with Exercise Right.
🌐https://www.10000steps.org.au/learn-and-discover/exercise-right/
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Join a network focused on creating active and liveable communities with :
🌐https://hw.qld.gov.au/connectingq/

💬 However you move today, do it for your mental health and wellbeing - invite someone to join you!
✅ Check out events across Queensland Mental Health Week 4-12 October: https://www.qldmentalhealthweek.org.au/

to
thanks to Health and Wellbeing Queensland

The Global Observatory for Physical Education (GoPE!) has officially launched the 1st edition of physical education country cards.

Check out the Philippine GoPE! Country Card here: https://globalphysicaleducationobservatory.com/card/?country=PH

Let’s work together to advocate for improved physical education programs and effective policy implementation in the country!

Let’s GoPE!

Card – Global Observatory for Physical Education

WHO recommends children and adolescents 🧒👦🏿👧🏻 do at least 60 minutes/day of moderate to vigorous-intensity aerobic activity throughout the week. They should also limit the amount of time spent sitting or looking at the screen for recreational purposes

🌎 🚴‍♂️ June 3 is World Bicycle Day!

Did you know that only 1 out of 3 school-aged children in the Philippines walk or bike to school?

Biking does not only promote physical activity but it also contributes to a healthier environment.

Let’s advocate for safe pathways and bike-friendly initiatives in our communities to inspire a generation of active, healthy kids in the Philippines! 🚲 💪

Meet the team behind the Active Healthy Kids Philippines 2026 Physical Activity Report Card co-led by Dr. Jon Cagas and Dr. Molly Mallari. Their collaborative efforts aim to influence policy to support healthier, more active lifestyles for children and youth in the Philippines. Represented are UP Diliman, UP Manila and UP Mindanao. ❤️💪

📚🏃‍♂️ Physical Education (PE) in schools plays a crucial role in promoting physical activity among young people! In the 2022 Philippine Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Adolescents, “School” received a grade of C-, which means that schools can do more in encouraging young Filipinos become more active.

PE classes provide structured opportunities for students to engage in various forms of physical activity, develop motor skills, and learn about the importance of a lifelong active lifestyle.

Let’s support PE in schools to nurture a more active and healthier generation of Filipino youth!

Follow us for more updates.

Free access:
2022 PH Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Adolescents https://www.activehealthykidsphilippines.org/report-card

Scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesf.2022.10.001