Not changing the clocks back would help in the fight against childhood obesity by giving kids more opportunities to play outdoors, a new survey suggests.
Researchers say this strengthens the public health argument for the proposed changes to daylight savings, which would see clocks put forward by an extra hour all year round.
The study, published in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health, looked at the activity levels of 325 children in south-east England aged between 8 years to 11 years.
Researchers found the children did more exercise outside on longer days and are more influenced by daylight, rather than weather, when deciding whether to play outside.
"This provides the most direct evidence yet that changing the clocks so that there is more daylight in the afternoon could increase children's physical activity," co-researcher Dr Anna Goodman told the BBC.
"The fact that kids spend more time playing outdoors and are more physically active overall on these longer days could be important at a population level for promoting their fitness and in preventing child obesity."
We'd love to hear what mums in Scotland and the north of England think, too. Let us know your thoughts below...
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