Scientists measured physical activity in thousands of seven-year-olds and found that 50% of them are inactive for more than six hours every day.
Martha Fairlie reports from the West Midlands:
The Government have maintained their commitment to the Olympic legacy after the BMJ found half of seven-year-olds are not getting an hour of exercise daily:
More needs to be done to boost the amount of exercise children are doing, including promoting walking or cycling to school, said researchers behind new data on the exercise habits of Britain's youngsters.
According to the BMJ's research into exercise taken by seven-year-olds:
- Only on in three (33 percent) of Bangladeshi children managed the recommended exercise minimum.
- Children in Scotland were the second worst country for overall activity. Only 52.5 percent were able to meet the one hour target.
- Seven-year-olds living in the north west of England were the most likely to hit the one hour mark, with 58 percent taking part in vigorous exercise.
- However, children in the midlands came in last, with only 46 percent likely to meet the bare minimum.
At lest half of all seven-year-olds are not getting enough exercise, and girls are far less active than boys, research by a leading medical journal has found.
Only 51 percent of British seven-year-olds are getting an hour of exercise every day - the recommended amount - and twice as many boys than girls are active enough.
Just 38 percent of girls take part in the required hour of exercise, according to the British Medical Journal's (BMJ) research.
On top of this, half of all seven-year-olds have no or very little exercise, spending at least 6.4 hours of every day in activities which require sitting still.
Children of Indian origin or living in Northern Ireland are among the least physically active, according to the BMJ.
14-year-old Tina Needham weighs 20 stone and is trying to lose weight. She started comfort eating after being bullied, and chocolate and biscuits became a regular part of her diet. Speaking to Daybreak Tina said she wanted to slim down to a size 12.
Professor Timothy Barrett has told ITV Daybreak that "many young obese children have very low self-estime and poor body image so they need sociological support."
David Hennessey, headteacher at St Peter and St Paul School in south London, says too many families are becoming reliant on fast food and see it as one of the main meals of the day.
National Obesity Forum member Tam Fry, who chairs the Child Growth Foundation charity, has warned about the "tragic" dangers of obesity in teenagers during pregnancy.
He said: "Girls are not only getting fat, but getting pregnant.
"The result is not only distressing for the girls but threatening for their children."
Talking about the increase of child admissions related to pregnancy, Mr Tam added: "I'm not surprised by this leap.
"A lot of these young people are completely unaware that piling on the pounds will not only make them fat but give rise to these other conditions."