Do boys need more exercise than girls?

With childhood obesity on the rise, a number of physicians are working to understand the cause, and what we can do to reverse the trend. In an interesting twist on this research, one recent study has found that exercise may be more important for boys than it is for girls.

Boys and girls ages 7 to 10 were included in the study, which measured both their height, weight, and waist size to determine their body mass index (BMI). After four days of rigorous exercise -- 1 hour per day for boys, and 30 minutes a day for girls -- the results of the research indicated that boys needed to exercise harder than girls to see the same reduction in body fat.

Doctors will be following up with additional research to determine why this difference exists, and what effect that difference might have on the amount of time children spend engaged in physical activity in order to stay fit.