For every 1,000 extra steps the children took per day, the time they spent with symptoms fell by more than four days
Children who move a lot and run more than others may be less likely to catch coughs and colds.
And according to what was reported in the British Daily Mail, a study of 104 children between the ages of 4 and 7 indicates that regular exercise may prevent catching a cold.
Children wore a fitness tracker for 40 days to measure their daily steps and type of physical activity, and their parents filled out a daily questionnaire for 60 days about symptoms of coughing, sneezing, sore throat, runny and stuffy nose and fatigue. For every 1,000 extra steps the children took each day, the time they spent with symptoms decreased by more than four days.
Expressive
The study, which was led by the Medical University of Warsaw and published in the journal Pediatric Research, concluded: “Through contact with the natural environment and opportunities for socialization, children benefit from exposure to sunlight, natural elements and the outdoors, all of which contribute to strengthening the immune system.”
It is normal for children under the age of five to have up to 12 upper respiratory infections, such as the common cold, in one year.
This is because there are hundreds of different viruses and young children have not been infected with any of them before, so they do not have immunity.
Most colds get better within five to seven days, but it can take up to two weeks in young children. They build immunity gradually, with the rate decreasing by the start of primary school.
Expressive
The new study suggests that preschool children who have high levels of daily movement and activity may be less likely to develop an upper respiratory infection. The researchers divided the children into two groups – an active group and a less active group.
The least active group of 47 children, based on their daily steps in the first two weeks of the study, spent a combined 947 days experiencing symptoms such as coughing and sneezing.
This compared to only 724 total symptom days among the active group. Additionally, children who engaged in three or more hours of exercise per week tended to have fewer days with symptoms of respiratory infections compared to those who did not regularly participate in exercise.
Children who did not move regularly had more severe symptoms of upper respiratory infections when they took fewer daily steps.
More research, with more children, is needed, but the study authors suggest that higher levels of physical activity can promote better immune responses in young children.
Preschoolers should spend at least three hours a day doing physical activity, including playing outdoors, according to health experts. Children this age should not remain inactive for long periods, except when they are asleep.