The change of time has detractors and convinced of their need, in "petit committee" I have not yet found any person on foot who does not suffer, even that I don't disagree... especially with this autumnal change that steals us hours of afternoon light.
It turns out that it is no longer so much about the opinion of individual people or small groups, but that it becomes a generalized opinion. I imagine that in other countries the same will happen, well, in those who touch the clocks, which are the Europeans and part of those that house the American continent. It is a European directive that indicates el last Sunday of October as the chosen one so that it becomes the scene of change, in the United States it will happen on November 2.
But would you say that apart from those small hormonal imbalances that we theoretically save over time, touching the clock is beneficial for children? A group of researchers has concluded that with the extension of daylight hours in the afternoon, there is an increase (small but that stands out in the long term) of daily physical activity.
A study from the University of Bristol and the London Shool of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine has examined the associations between the time when children are physically active and the sunset. Electronic devices that measure the movement of the body have been used.
The main author is Anna Goodman, and they have been studied in total more than 23,000 children from five to 16 countries in a total of nine countries Europeans, Americans and Oceania (including Norway, Brazil, Portugal, Australia ...)
When the sun goes down, physical activity levels drop, we can imagine that: we cannot influence the rhythms of Nature, but yes about our schedules. The study authors point out the possibility of introducing other energy saving measures, in favor of public health.
And it is not that the minutes of physical activity gained are relevant in an average period of time, but they could be significant in general. The study authors wanted to test the hypothesis that more light in the afternoon equals more physical activity in total, even after adjusting the atmospheric conditions.
They have observed in each participant those levels of activity
In several countries there is debate about the advisability of advancing the time of the clocks (in the case of the autumn change), including Great Britain, or Australia. In Spain there are discordant voices such as Ignacio Buqueras (president of the National Commission for the Rationalization of Spanish Timetables), who think it would be more appropriate to stay on a stable schedule. Also from WWF ensure that the change does not impact on savings and efficiency.
The work that we mention today stems from the verification that physical activity in children is greater in summer than in winter, and given its importance in their health, it is considered important to open lines of research and discussion points. In the end it is to realize something that is observable to the naked eye: where I live last week the children were playing or walking at 7 in the afternoon, and the next few days will not.
In any case if we had the opportunity to live according to natural cycles, we would not have these problems. Open the first eye with the first ray of light, close them when it gets dark, the rhythm of life we lead, I'm afraid that makes it very difficult for us.
Images | Georgie Pauwels, Pete
Via | Ideal
More information | International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, University of Bristol
In Peques and More | Is your family ready for the time change?
