Resources
Healthy Choices: Physical Activity
Canadian guidelines suggest that children and youth should be getting at least 90 minutes of physical activity per day – but research shows that they are not. According to the Active Healthy Kids Canada 2010 Report Card, only 12% of children and youth across Canada, and only 15% of children and youth across BC are meeting this guideline. Also, as reported on the Action Schools! BC website, the 2000/2001 Canadian Community Health Survey showed that 50% of BC children and youth (aged 12-19) were physically inactive.
Canadian guidelines suggest that children and youth should be getting at least 90 minutes of physical activity per day.
The amount of time children and youth spend being inactive (e.g. watching TV, playing computer/video games etc.) is also on the rise. For example, the Active Healthy Kids Canada 2010 Report Card showed that most children and youth participate in about 6 hours of screen time per day on weekdays and 7 hours of screen time per day on weekends.
Lack of physical activity and too much inactivity have many negative effects. As reported on the Action Schools! BC website, the 1998/1999 National Population Health Survey(PDF) showed that 84% of children and youth do not take part in enough physical activity to properly maintain healthy bodies and support healthy minds. Decreased physical activity is also leading to a Canada-wide increase in childhood overweight and obesity. Teenagers and young adults are developing chronic diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular disease in teenagers and young adults. Inactive young people are also more likely to take part in high-risk behaviors like smoking and alcohol consumption, and to do poorly in school.
Challenges to taking part in physical activity can include: not enough opportunities to participate in organized sports or other physical activities; schools which lack the resources to facilitate participation in sports or physical activities; poor access to, or under-usage of facilities, programs, parks and playgrounds; outdoor spaces that promote physical activity which appear unsafe or poorly looked after; and local policies and regulations that do not support physical activity.
SCOPE hopes to bring families, communities, schools, local businesses and local governments together to find ways to improve physical activity among children and youth, such as:
- Creating physical activity programs to promote physical activity in children and youth who find accessing and/or participating in physical activity challenging. For example, you could:
- Encourage the children and youth in your community to use the green space in their neighborhood – have a parent volunteer supervise to ensure safety and fun.
- Gather a group of volunteers to run an after school Physical Activity Club.
- Talk to your local community centre about offering free or low cost programs such as drop-in swimming.
- Encouraging active forms of transportation such as walking and biking. For example, you could:
- Start a walking school bus with other parents that live in your neighborhood.
- Encourage your teenager to get off the bus one stop early to increase their daily physical activity.
- Make sure all the schools in your community have bike racks for safe bike storage during the day.
- Limiting screen time and providing opportunities to take part in physical activity alternatives. For example, you could:
- Organize a ‘Turn-off the TV Week’ and encourage your kids to participate in fun alternatives such as games, physical activity and reading.
- Participate in family activities after mealtime – get out for a walk or go to the park.
- Have a ‘TV Timeout’ during mealtime – make dinnertime a special time for family conversation, with no TV.
For more information on physical activity in children and youth and how to improve physical activity in children and youth, check out the following links:
Public Health Agency of Canada, Canada’s Physical Activity Guide to Healthy Active Living
Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute
Health Canada, Healthy Living, Physical Activity
Active Healthy Kids, Physical Activity and Inactivity
ActNow BC, Physical Activity
Physical Activity Strategy
