AMES, Iowa, April 17 (UPI) -- Less than half of U.S. children meet the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines that boys take 11,000 steps and girls take 13,000 a day, a study found.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations that daily, boys take 11,000 steps, girls take at least 13,000 and both limit screen time to two hours.

Researchers at the Iowa State University and the National Institute on Media and Family studied a group of 709 children ages 7 to 12, who were asked to wear pedometers and were given surveys to measure the amount of time spent each day watching TV and playing video games.

The study, published in the The Journal of Pediatrics, found 20 percent of the children were overweight, with less than half meeting both recommendations American Academy of Pediatrics.

"Children not meeting the physical activity or exceeding the screen time recommendations were 3 to 4 times more likely to be overweight than those complying with both recommendations," study leader Kelly Laurson of Iowa State University said in a statement.

"Very few of the children met both guidelines. By encouraging physical activity and limiting screen time, caregivers may be able to reduce the risk of children from becoming overweight."