One third of young girls think 'getting hot and sweaty' is socially unacceptable

A new research suggests that a third of young girls don't think leading an active life is important and believe it is socially unacceptable to get hot and sweaty.

The survey of more than 2,000 schoolchildren aged between eight and 16 found that many held worrying attitudes about exercise, especially young girls, a third of whom said they avoided playing sport because they felt self-conscious and embarrassed while taking part, the Independent reported.

36 percent of girls said it was "socially acceptable" for boys to get hot and sweaty but that the same was not true for girls, while 32 percent said leading an active life was not important to them. 39 percent of 16-year-old girls said they never undertook any strenuous activity while at school.

The research was carried out on behalf of health club operator Virgin Active, which has launched a five-year campaign to help tackle rising levels of youth inactivity in collaboration with sports charities and educational organisations.

It also found that overall, more than a third (36 percent) of young people regularly go at least a week without undertaking moderate or strenuous physical activity, either in or out of school.