Kids Across America Experiencing a Deficit of Active Play

PLANO, Texas, June 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Whatever happened to 'go outside and play'? As the school year comes to a close, kids should be flocking to fill the playgrounds, parks and pools across the country. Based on the results of a national State of Play survey of parents and tweens, children are instead filling their free time with non-active play.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, kids should get at least 60 minutes of activity every day. However, with increasingly high demands on children's schedules and the preference for technology, active play is often deprioritized.

No Time for Play Time 

The 2017 Let's Play State of Play survey, commissioned by Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS), revealed that time for active play, whether it be in neighborhoods after school, on weekends, during the summer or on days off from school, is more limited than before.

• All Work and No Play: Nearly seven out ten parents believed that busy schedules were a key barrier to active play.
• Give me a Break!: Amid their demanding schedules, more than 50 percent of tweens wished they had more time to be active and play sports.
• Plugged in Play: Rather than playing outside, kids are spending more time on entertainment media, including televisions, computers, phones and other electronic devices. In fact, roughly 81 percent of kids consider gaming to be a part of playtime.
• Wired Warriors: Screen time for kids nearly doubles from the weekday to the weekend, (4.8 hours to 8.4 hours per day), while active play increases by just 1 hour (2.6 hours to 3.8 hours per day) despite having extra free time from schoolwork/school day.

The Benefits of Play

Let's Play was launched in 2011 as a community initiative led by Dr Pepper Snapple Group, in partnership with two non-profit organizations –  KaBOOM! and Good Sports –  to get kids and families to play nationwide.

"Through Let's Play, we are committed to providing kids and families with the tools, places and inspiration to make active play a daily priority," said Vicki Draughn, Dr Pepper Snapple Group vice president of corporate affairs. "By providing underserved communities with safe, accessible playgrounds and sports equipment, we're making play possible for more kids and doing our part to help eliminate the play deficit."

Dr Pepper Snapple Group partners with KaBOOM! to build and improve playgrounds and with Good Sports to provide grants for sports equipment to help make active play possible. As of 2017, DPS has invested $28 million in grants for new or improved playgrounds and sports equipment, impacting hundreds of youth-serving organizations across the U.S., as well as Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.

The 2017 State of Play Survey polled a nationally-representative sample of tweens (age 9-12 children) and parents of children between the ages of 5-17 living in the household. The survey was fielded between March 29 and April 6, 2017.

For more information about Let's Play, please visit LetsPlay.com or Facebook.com/LetsPlay.

About Let's Play
Let's Play is an initiative by Dr Pepper Snapple Group to provide kids and families with the tools, places and inspiration to make active play a daily priority. Through Let's Play, Dr Pepper Snapple partners with two non-profit organizations, KaBOOM! and Good Sports, to build and improve playgrounds in underserved communities and provide grants for sports equipment. In this way, Dr Pepper Snapple is doing our part to help eliminate the play deficit by making active play possible for more kids. Since its launch in 2011, Let's Play has provided more than 10 million children with more opportunities to play via safe, accessible playgrounds and sports equipment. For more information, please visit LetsPlay.com or Facebook.com/LetsPlay.

About Dr Pepper Snapple Group
Dr Pepper Snapple Group (NYSE: DPS) is a leading producer of flavored beverages in North America and the Caribbean. Our success is fueled by more than 50 brands that are synonymous with refreshment, fun and flavor. We have seven of the top 10 non-cola soft drinks, and nine of our 10 leading brands are No. 1 or No. 2 in their flavor categories. In addition to our flagship Dr Pepper and Snapple brands, our portfolio includes 7UP, A&W, Bai, Canada Dry, Clamato, Crush, Hawaiian Punch, IBC, Mott's, Mr & Mrs T mixers, Peñafiel, Rose's, Schweppes, Squirt and Sunkist soda. To learn more about our iconic brands and Plano, Texas-based company, please visit www.DrPepperSnapple.com. For our latest news and updates, follow us at www.Facebook.com/DrPepperSnapple or www.Twitter.com/DrPepperSnapple.

CONTACT: Shannon Lynch, 214-443-7568, [email protected] 

SOURCE Dr Pepper Snapple Group

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