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A report found that over half of high school boys and two-thirds of girls never shower after sports at school. Researchers suggest students don't want to sweat and take a shower, so they are less active. The researchers questioned almost 4,000 children. Lead researcher Dr Gavin Sandercock said he was surprised at how rarely students showered. He said children's fitness levels were declining because of less exercise. He said: "If the unwillingness to shower is a barrier to working up a sweat or playing sport, it's something we need to tackle to promote activity at schools."

The BBC says the study did not look at the exact reasons why students do not shower. Other studies say the fear of bullying and humiliation may be behind the reason. Undressing in front of others may be too much for some children. A spokeswoman for a health organisation in England said many children worried about their body image. She said schools needed to do something about this: "Schools…have a role to play in shifting attitudes so that physical activity, and what comes with it, like sweating and the need for showering, is encouraged and accommodated," she said.