"Study Time Decreased"…Middle and High School Students Sitting for 11 Hours a Day

Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs Report
"Youth Leisure Time Is Also Becoming Sedentary"

It was found that adolescents typically spend around 10 hours a day sitting.

According to the report titled "Research on Improving School-Based Adolescent Obesity Prevention Policies: Focusing on Physical Activity" by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs on the 17th, based on the results of the 2017?2023 Youth Health Behavior Survey by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, middle and high school students spent 11.02 hours sitting on weekdays and 9.21 hours on weekends in 2023. Compared to 2017, when the sitting time was 10.19 hours on weekdays and 8.45 hours on weekends, the time spent sitting each day has gradually increased.

A test taker is doing last-minute studying before the exam begins. Photo by Joint Press Corps

The time spent sitting for study purposes slightly decreased over the past six years. In 2017, students spent an average of 7.64 hours sitting on weekdays and 3.92 hours on weekends for study purposes, but in 2023, these numbers decreased to 7.59 hours and 3.84 hours, respectively.

However, the time spent sitting for non-study purposes increased. The average daily sitting time for non-study purposes was 2.55 hours on weekdays and 4.53 hours on weekends in 2017, but these increased to 3.44 hours and 5.37 hours, respectively, in 2023.

The time spent sitting for non-study purposes on weekends became even longer than during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was 5.48 hours in 2020 and 5.32 hours in 2021.

The research team analyzed, "The time spent sitting for non-study purposes significantly increased in 2020 and has remained elevated through 2023," adding, "This indicates that adolescents' leisure time is becoming more sedentary."

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that adolescents engage in at least one hour of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily. However, physical activity among middle and high school students in Korea remains insufficient. The rate of practicing 60 minutes of physical activity that causes shortness of breath for five or more days a week was only 17.1% in 2023, though this is an increase from 13.8% in 2017.