The passage of the head of state, this Tuesday, September 5, at the college of Orthez in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques is not only a stage of his political return. During his visit, Emmanuel Macron announced that he wanted to focus on strengthening the place of sport in school.
A workhorse that echoes his own words during an interview with Youtubeur HugoDécrypte, Monday September 4 on YouTube. The Head of State stressed how “when you do sport you are good”, and that sports practice is “an instrument of health [qui] prevents obesity”. A statement that echoes recent figures on the increase in obesity among the youngest, despite very regular sports practice among those under 30.
Nearly 80% of people under 25 play sports every week
Indeed, the National Institute of Youth and Popular Education (INJEP) details the extent of the sports practice of young French people, in its annual report of “key youth figures” dated 2023.
Thus, in 2022, 76% of 15-29 year olds practiced a regular activity, that is to say at least once a week on average. Against 60% for all French people over 15 years old. In the detail of the age groups, the 15-24 years are even 78% to do sport on a weekly basis, while the 24-29 years fall to 69%.
Similarly, those under 20 hold the largest share of sports licenses, with a peak of licensees aged around 10, according to other INJEP data dated 2016. The institute also details the sports most practiced by young French people.
Among the sports federations issuing the greatest number of licenses to 15-29 year olds in 2021, we find unsurprisingly at the top of the ranking: football (around 621,000 licensees), followed by horse riding (202,000), tennis (171,000), basketball (139,000) then handball (112,000).
If pleasure and amusement remain one of the major reasons that push young people to play sports (19% of 15-29 year olds), it is no longer the first. Indeed, 22% of practitioners in this age group declared in 2022 to practice sport for health issues, according to INJEP. A slight increase compared to 2018.
The growing obesity
Despite this healthy trend, obesity is increasing in France. According to a study published at the end of February 2023 by Inserm, the League against obesity and the Montpellier University Hospital, one in two French people is overweight (47%) and 17% are obese. Although 18-24 year olds are the least affected age group (9.2% of obese young people), this share has quadrupled over the past twenty years according to this same study.
Including among the youngest: 17% of 6-17 year olds are overweight today, and 4% are considered obese. A trend linked to the lack of sport, as shown by the National Survey of Physical and Sports Practices (ENPPS). In 2020, 34% of people who are kept away from sports say that it is because of health problems, and 22% of them consider their state of health to be bad or very bad.
In a press release, the Health Insurance estimated that “childhood obesity has become a major public health problem”, announcing at the end of March to generalize a follow-up for children aged 3 to 12 at risk or overweight.
An announcement in the wake of the will of the government: in his interview on Monday, September 4, Emmanuel Macron indicated that he wanted to generalize the practice of 30 minutes of physical activity per day in primary schools, and two hours more in college. The President of the Republic has also announced a “sports evaluation test” planned for the sixth class.