Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Tell a classroom of children to touch their toes and most will manage. Ask them to hold a plank, and many will succeed. But ask them to keep running — and nearly two out of three will run out of steam.
The latest national fitness assessment shows that only 34 per cent of children meet healthy standards for aerobic endurance. Experts say the reason is not inactivity, but fragmentation — children are active in short bursts, not sustained stretches that build cardiovascular capacity.
Dr. Vijay Krishnamurthy, sports researcher, calls it a structural problem. “Activity has become fragmented,” he said. “Short PE periods, occasional sports practice, bursts of play — that is not enough to build cardiovascular capacity. Endurance requires progression and consistency. Without that, stamina declines.”
Overall fitness levels suggest recovery on the surface. In 2020, 70.5 per cent of children were classified as fit. That number dropped sharply to 56.2 per cent in 2022 during prolonged pandemic disruptions. By 2025, overall fitness rose to 84.8 per cent, exceeding pre-pandemic levels.
But endurance has not recovered at the same pace.
Aerobic fitness stood at 27.5 per cent in 2023, improved to 32.8 per cent in 2024 and reached 34.4 per cent in 2025 — a gradual rise, but still leaving two-thirds of children below healthy benchmarks.
“Aerobic endurance is closely linked to long-term heart health and metabolic stability,” sports physiotherapist Dr Ankush Agrawal said. He added that persistently low stamina in childhood increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and lifestyle disorders later in life.
In rapidly urbanising cities such as Bhopal and Indore, shrinking open spaces, increased screen exposure and mounting academic pressure have reduced prolonged outdoor play, Agrawal added. “Activity has become scheduled and time-bound,” he said.
In contrast, children perform well in flexibility (70%), core stability (87%) and show adequate muscular strength (50%). However, only 60% fall within a healthy BMI range.
The imbalance is clear: children can bend, balance and perform short physical tasks. They struggle with sustained effort.
