Play England has called for an increase in the number of staffed play grounds to help beat child obesity and tackle anti-social behaviour.

The association says that a report by independent think thank Demos supports the view that skilled staff - whether paid or voluntary - play a crucial role in successfully engaging children and young people most at risk of a sedentary lifestyle and the resulting obesity, as well as those prone to anti-social behaviour.

The Demos report, called People Make Play: the impact off staffed play provision on children, families and communities, claims that staffed playgrounds, often run by the voluntary sector, are an increasingly vital element in the multi-agency approach to improving outcomes for children, families and communities and are also thought to be more cost-effective than established statutory services.

Adrian Voce, director of Play England says: "This timely report illustrates the vital role adults have, not in the actual play of children but in the provision of the physical and social space that it needs.

"A typical 8-13 year-old today is effectively battery-reared, spending five or more hours in front of a screen and rarely, if ever, allowed out without an adult.

"This sedentary behaviour is a major cause of obesity and other problems. Parents are widely encouraged to allow children more freedom to play out, but in some areas, if this is unsupervised they are at risk of bullying, crime or road traffic accidents on the one hand; anti-social behaviour and offending on the other."

The report suggests that such schemes have a high level of success in engaging the 'hardest-to-reach' youngsters and most vulnerable children - those growing up in deprived communities - giving them the chance to learn important life skills such as mutual respect, sharing, team work and power over their own lives.

In the report, Richard Reeves, director of Demos, states that to neglect play is to "neglect those very aspects of our humanity that we work so hard to protect and develop".

The report focused on six case studies in vulnerable neighbourhoods across England, and showed that staffed play providers provide spaces where children learn to get along with each other, whatever their background or ability.

Play England will launch its Manifesto for Play on 23 March.

In the document, the organisation will further highlight the importance of staffed play provision and call on all parties to make it part of their policies for supporting children and families, especially in deprived communities.