LETTING your kids run wild helps to keep them healthy, a study suggests.<\/p>\n

Children allowed to take risks when they play may be more likely to hit exercise targets and stay in shape.<\/p>\n

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Only around half of British youngsters are active for the recommended hour per day while a growing number are overweight and at risk of health problems like type 2 diabetes.<\/p>\n

Data from 645 parents in Australia found children were more active if mum and dad let them take risks like climbing trees and riding bikes.<\/p>\n

Helicopter parents – those who are always 'hovering' around their children and are overprotective – were more likely to have unfit kids, the research found.<\/p>\n

Lead author Alethea Jerebine, from Coventry University, said: \u201cIt\u2019s understandable that parents want to protect their child, but the balance can tip too far.<\/p>\n

Read more on child health<\/h2>\n

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Warning to parents as 'huge kids' health crisis' looms – is your child at risk?<\/h3>\n

<\/picture>HEALTH HAZARD <\/span><\/p>\n

Half of kids aged six or over aren't exercising enough, experts say<\/h3>\n

\u201cAdventurous play can help improve a child\u2019s fitness, cognitive function and mental wellbeing \u2013 and it\u2019s also more fun.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis study shows that parents with a relaxed attitude to risky play have children who are more likely to be getting the recommended amount of daily exercise.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The study, in the journal Psychology of Sport and Exercise, found most parents were nervous, with 78 per cent saying they were \u201crisk averse\u201d.<\/p>\n

Mothers were more likely to control their child\u2019s behaviour than fathers.<\/p>\n

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