Australian and New Zealand teenagers among most inactive in the world

Almost 90% do not meet recommended target of an hour of moderate exercise a day, a study has found

Australian youth are among the most inactive in the world, the first global ranking of the physical activity of 11-17 year olds has found, with neighbouring New Zealand faring only slightly better.

Researchers from the University of Western Australia and the Imperial College in London analysed data from 298 school surveys on physical activity levels from 146 countries, representing 1.6 million students. Australia was one of the worst performers, ranking in at 140. New Zealand came in at 138 in the ranking, which was published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health journal on Friday.