The Active Healthy Kids Pakistan Report Card is a comprehensive evidence-based synthesis of physical activity behaviors and health among children and adolescents in Pakistan. Building on international best practices, the Report Card aims to consolidate the best available data, propose grades for each indicator, promote international comparability, and drive meaningful improvements in physical activity of children and adolescents across Pakistan.
This Report Card brings together data from national surveys, peer-reviewed studies, and government reports to provide a summary of how children and adolescents in Pakistan are performing across a range of physical activity and health-related indicators and contexts. It aims to inform policy, guide research priorities, support education and advocacy, and ultimately encourage a healthier, more active generation.
We use a harmonised framework encompassing behavioural indicators (such as overall physical activity, organised sport participation, active play, active transportation, sedentary behaviour, sleep and fruit consumption), sources of influence (such as family & peers, school, community & environment, government strategies) and health outcome indicators (such as physical fitness and obesity). Each indicator is graded on a letter-scale (A+ to F, or INC for incomplete data) according to pre-defined benchmarks. For example, an A+ denotes that 94-100 % of children meet the benchmark, whereas an F signifies that less than 20 % do so.
An expert working group comprising of researchers and academics reviewed all available data for children and adolescents in Pakistan (typically aged 5-17 years) over the past 15 years. Data sources meeting the following criteria were included: (1) the study or report targeted children and/or adolescents in Pakistan; (2) it assessed one or more of the Report Card indicators; and (3) data collection was conducted within the past 15 years.
For each indicator, the working group discussed the evidence, applied the benchmarks, and arrived at a proposed grade that was further reviewed in expert consultation.
| Grade | Benchmark | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | 94–100% | We are succeeding with a large majority of children and adolescents |
| A | 87–93% | |
| A− | 80–86% | |
| B+ | 74–79% | We are succeeding with well over half of children and adolescents |
| B | 67–73% | |
| B− | 60–66% | |
| C+ | 54–59% | We are succeeding with about half of children and adolescents |
| C | 47–53% | |
| C− | 40–46% | |
| D+ | 34–39% | We are succeeding with less than half, but some, children and adolescents |
| D | 27–33% | |
| D− | 20–26% | |
| F | <20% | We are succeeding with very few children and adolescents |
| INC | Incomplete | Insufficient or inadequate information to assign a grade |
The findings from this Report Card are intended for a wide audience, including policy-makers, educators, practitioners, researchers and the general public. They are published online, shared via media and presented to key stakeholders. The goal is to stimulate dialogue, influence monitoring systems, strengthen surveillance, inform practice and policy, and provide a benchmark for future editions.
We aim to update the Report Card at regular intervals (e.g., every 2-3 years) and strengthen national surveillance systems in Pakistan. We will actively engage with schools, communities and government partners to promote interventions, track change over time and expand the evidence base for physical activity and health of children and adolescents in Pakistan.