2013 Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth

109 Pages·2013·10.35 MB·English

Driving

Are We Our Kids
tO Unhealthy habits?
2013 Active Healthy Kids Canada
Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth
the 2013
aCtive
healthy KiDs
CanaDa
rePOrt CarD
ON PHYSICAL
ACTIVITY FOR
CHILDREN AND
YOUTH
Active Healthy Kids Canada’s strategic partners played a
critical role in the research, development and communication
of The 2013 Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card on
Physical Activity for Children and Youth:
Production of the Report Card is possible through funding from
Provincial/Territorial governments through the Sport, Physical
Activity and Recreation Committee and the following partners:
The 2013 Report Card is available for reproduction provided the
following copyright acknowledgement is included:
Information has been provided from The 2013 Active Healthy Kids
Canada Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth with
permission from Active Healthy Kids Canada.
Please use the following citation:
Active Healthy Kids Canada (2013). Are We Driving Our Kids to Unhealthy
Habits? The 2013 Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card on Physical
Activity for Children and Youth. Toronto: Active Healthy Kids Canada.
The 2013 Report Card, and a summary of its findings, are available
online at www.activehealthykids.ca.
Contents
2 Report Card Development Team
3 About the Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card 53 Community & the Built Environment
4 Indicators & Grades
5 Why is Physical Activity Important? 54 Community Policy & Programming
6 How Much Physical Activity Should Children & 58 Availability of Facilities, Programs, Parks &
Youth Get? Playgrounds
62 Neighbourhood Safety
7 How Much Sedentary Behaviour is Too Much?
66 Nature & the Outdoors
8 Are We Driving Our Kids to Unhealthy Habits?
10 A Closer Look at Active Transportation at
the Provincial and Territorial Level
69 Policy
11 Physical Activity & Sedentary Behaviour 72 Federal Government Strategies & Investments
76 Provincial/Territorial Government Strategies &
Investments
12 Physical Activity Levels
80 Non-Government Strategies & Investments
16 Organized Sport & Physical Activity Participation
20 Active Play & Leisure
24 Active Transportation
85 Steps in the Right Direction – Active Transportation
28 Physical Education & Physical Activity Participation
Examples Across Canada
at School & in Childcare Settings
32 Sedentary Behaviour 95 Abbreviations
96 Summary of Indicators
98 Methodology and Data Sources
37 School & Childcare Settings 100 Acknowledgements
100 Network Partners
38 School Policy & Programming 101 References
42 School Infrastructure & Equipment
45 Family & Peers
46 Family Physical Activity
50 Peer Influence
1
report Card
Development team
DATE OF PUBLICATION RESEARCH WORK GROUP
May 21, 2013 Mike Arthur (Department of Health and Wellness, Nova Scotia)
Christine Cameron (Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute)
CHAIR OF THE ACTIvE HEALTHY KIDS Jean-Philippe Chaput (Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute)
CANADA BOARD Guy Faulkner (University of Toronto)
Angelo Belcastro Ian Janssen (Queen’s University)
Angela Kolen-Thompson (St. Francis Xavier University)
CHIEF ExECUTIvE OFFICER Stephen Manske (Propel Centre for Population Health Impact, University of Waterloo)
Jennifer Cowie Bonne Art Salmon (Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, Ontario)
John C. Spence (University of Alberta)
CHIEF SCIENTIFIC OFFICER Brian Timmons (McMaster University)
Mark Tremblay
RESEARCH AND CONTENT DEvELOPMENT SUPPORT FROM THE HEALTHY
SCIENTIFIC OFFICER ACTIvE LIvING AND OBESITY RESEARCH GROUP, CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL
Rachel Colley OF EASTERN ONTARIO RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Kevin Belanger
RESEARCH MANAGER AND Priscilla Belanger
LEAD AUTHOR Mike Borghese
Joel Barnes Valerie Carson
Kristina Fabris
SHORT FORM WRITER Zach Ferraro
Richard Larouche Claire Francis
Kimberly Grattan
PROjECT MANAGEMENT Casey Gray
Adrea Fink Sonia Jean-Philippe
Alicia Tyson Richard Larouche
Katie McClelland
MARKETING MANAGER Marisa Murray
Rachel Shantz David Thivel
Shanna Wilson
DESIGN AND PRODUCTION
Hambly & Woolley Inc.
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2 RepoRt CaRd on physiCal aCtivity foR ChildRen and youth | 2013 aCtive healthy Kids Canada
Active Healthy Kids Advancing knowledge is the cornerstone of our business. Our
primary initiative is the annual Active Healthy Kids Canada
Canada is a national Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth. Now in
its 9th year of publication, the Report Card consolidates vast
charitable organization amounts of current research knowledge into a format that can
be easily accessed by media, governments, non-governmental
established in 1994 with organizations, practitioners and researchers, and provides
the most current and comprehensive assessment of the physical
a mission to inspire the activity of children and youth in Canada.
country to engage all The Report Card knowledge and grades serve as the basis for
media coverage, public debate, policy discussion and change,
children and youth in research proposals, academic publications, local and international
research conferences, communications campaigns, funding
physical activity. We provide decisions and general discourse. Over the years, Active Healthy
Kids Canada has become a “go to” source for knowledge, insight
expertise and direction and understanding that influences thinking and action among
issue stakeholders. The knowledge that Active Healthy Kids
on how to increase physical Canada shares through its Report Card has helped issue
stakeholders to build better programs, and enhance campaigns
activity for Canadian and policies that increase physical activity opportunities for
Canadian young people.
children and youth, and
The Report Card has also been an influential tool in many
how to effectively allocate countries around the world (e.g., the United States, Mexico,
South Africa, Kenya), where it has been used as a blueprint for
resources and attention collecting and sharing knowledge about the physical activity
of their young people.
to the issue. Our vision is
to create a nation of active
healthy kids.
2014 Global Summit on the
PhySical activity of children
Bringing together leading researchers and practitioners to address
the growing childhood physical inactivity crisis
reGiSter noW! If your work touches on childhood physical activity, Presented by Active Healthy Kids Canada,
SIGN UP NOW to receive your summit e-invitation and future communications publisher of the annual Report Card on Physical Activity
on important details, at www.activehealthykids.ca/summit for Children and Youth
3
INDICATORS & GRADES
Common to any report card are the grades. The 2013 Figure 1. Summary of the 2013 Report Card indicators.
Report Card assigns letter grades to 17 different
indicators that are grouped into three categories (see strategies &
investments
Figure 1): Strategies & Investments (Policy), Settings
& Sources of Influence (School & Childcare Settings, Policy
Family & Peers, Community & the Built Environment),
and the Behaviours that Contribute to Overall
settings & sOUrCes
Physical Activity Levels (Active Play & Leisure, Of inflUenCe
Physical Education and Physical Activity Participation at
School & Family & community &
School & in Childcare Settings, Sedentary Behaviour, childcare Peers the built
Organized Sport & Physical Activity Participation, Settings environment
Active Transportation). A child’s physical activity level
affects outcomes such as mental health and body
behaviOUrs that COntribUte tO
weight; in turn, these outcomes may affect a Overall PhysiCal aCtivity levels
child’s overall levels of physical activity. Letter grades (PhySIcal actIvIty & Sedentary behavIour)
are based on an examination of current data for
each indicator against a benchmark along with an
assessment of trends over time, international com-
parisons and the presence of disparities (e.g., age, PHYSICAL EDUCATION
ORGANIZED SPORT & & PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
gender, disability, ethnicity, socioeconomic status). PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PARTICIPATION AT
PARTICIPATION (+) SCHOOL & IN CHILDCARE
Together, the indicators provide a complete and robust SETTINGS (+)
assessment of how we are doing as a country in pro- PhysiCal
aCtivity
moting and facilitating physical activity opportunities
levels
among children and youth in Canada.
ACTIVE SEDENTARY
TRANSPORTATION (+) BEHAVIOUR (-)
ACTIVE PLAY &
LEISURE (+)
+ Increases total daily
physical activity
– Decreases total daily
physical activity
a ChilD’s Overall PhysiCal aCtivity level is linKeD
tO PhysiCal anD mental health, maintenanCe Of
a healthy bODy weight, aCaDemiC PerfOrmanCe,
mOtOr sKill DevelOPment, PhysiCal literaCy, etC…
4 RepoRt CaRd on physiCal aCtivity foR ChildRen and youth | 2013 aCtive healthy Kids Canada
why is
Physical
activity
important?
Since the late 1970s, national surveys have reported
on the health of the Canadian population, including
the prevalence of overweight and obesity in
children and youth. In September 2012, new data
on overweight and obesity levels in Canadian
children and youth from the 2009-11 Canadian
Health Measures Survey were released.1 Using World
Health Organization cut-off points for overweight 32% of 5- to 17-year-olds in
and obesity, this survey found that 32% of 5- to Canada are overweight or obese.
17-year-olds in Canada are overweight (20%) or obese
(12%), or an estimated 1.6 million children and youth.
Overweight levels are similar across age groups;
however, more boys than girls are obese (15% vs. 8%),
especially in the 5- to 11-year-old age group, where
boys are 3 times more likely than girls to be obese
(20% vs. 6%). Although overweight and obesity levels
do not appear to have increased in the past few years,
the levels remain high and are a public health concern.
Research continues to clarify the health benefits of structured
and unstructured physical activity, not just in adults but
in children and youth. For example, physical fitness – both Governor General of Canada:
aerobic and anaerobic – is associated with regular physical Embrace Healthy Living
activity in normal-weight and overweight or obese children.2
Physical activity is also associated with motor skill In the final week of 2012, Canada’s Governor General,
development, coordination and motor performance in David Johnston, released a 2013 New Year’s Message
children and youth.3-5 Regular physical activity even promotes encouraging all Canadians to embrace healthy active living.152
better bone health.6 The Governor General said, “I would like to encourage all
Canadians to embrace healthy living, regardless of the form
While regular physical activity offers physical health benefits, it takes. It is so important that we pay attention to our health
evidence also points to psychological, social and behavioural and wellness, and there are so many ways to do so. By
benefits of physical activity in children and youth. Higher engaging in physical activity, being mindful of our diet,
academic achievement and cognitive functioning, higher spending time outdoors in the fresh air and tending to our
self-esteem, and lower depression and anxiety are all related mental and emotional health, we can make a real difference
to physical activity.7 Physical activity is also linked to better in our quality of life. One of the wonderful things about a
overall health-related quality of life and psychological health healthy lifestyle is that everyone can improve their habits in
in children and youth.3, 8 some way. Throughout my life, I have committed to staying
physically active, and exercise continues to be an important
There is little doubt that research will continue to reveal more part of my daily routine. The benefits of taking care of mind
about the relationship between physical activity and health in and body are undeniable, as are the risks of neglect. As
children and youth. Read through the 2013 Report Card to learn Canadians, let us make 2013 the year in which we commit to
what is currently known about physical activity and health in healthy living. That is a New Year’s resolution worthy of a
the everyday lives of Canadian children and youth. smart and caring nation!”
5
how much Physical
activity should
Children & youth get?
Given the importance of physical activity, and in response to calls from stakeholders (e.g., healthcare
providers, parents, fitness practitioners), the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) has released
physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines for children and youth9-11 and, most recently, for
infants, toddlers and preschoolers.11-13 Figures 2 and 3 below summarize the physical activity and sedentary
behaviour recommendations by age group.
Figure 2. The Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines by age group (source: CSEP9, 11, 12).
fOr the early years: 0–4 years fOr ChilDren: 5–11 years
Guidelines Guidelines
For healthy growth and development: For health benefits, children aged 5–11 years should accumulate
at least 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical
Infants (aged less than 1 year) should be physically active several activity daily. This should include:
times daily – particularly through interactive floor-based play.
Vigorous-intensity activities at least 3 days per week.
Toddlers (aged 1–2 years) and preschoolers (aged 3–4 years)
Activities that strengthen muscle and bone at least 3 days
should accumulate at least 180 minutes of physical activity at
per week.
any intensity spread throughout the day, including:
More daily physical activity provides greater health benefits.
A variety of activities in different environments;
Activities that develop movement skills;
Progression toward at least 60 minutes of energetic play
by 5 years of age. fOr yOUth: 12–17 years
More daily physical activity provides greater benefits.
Guidelines
For health benefits, youth aged 12–17 years should accumulate
at least 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical
activity daily. This should include:
Vigorous-intensity activities at least 3 days per week.
Activities that strengthen muscle and bone at least 3 days
per week.
More daily physical activity provides greater health benefits.
6 RepoRt CaRd on physiCal aCtivity foR ChildRen and youth | 2013 aCtive healthy Kids Canada
how much
sedentary
behaviour is
too much?
Figure 3. The Canadian Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines by age group
(source: CSEP10, 11).
fOr the early years: 0–4 years
Guidelines
For healthy growth and development, caregivers should
minimize the time infants (aged less than 1 year), toddlers
(aged 1–2 years) and preschoolers (aged 3–4 years) spend
being sedentary during waking hours. This includes prolonged
sitting or being restrained (e.g., stroller, high chair) for more
than one hour at a time.
For those under 2 years, screen time (e.g., TV, computer,
electronic games) is not recommended.
For children 2–4 years, screen time should be limited to under
one hour per day; less is better.
fOr ChilDren: 5–11 years
Guidelines
For health benefits, children aged 5–11 years should minimize the
time they spend being sedentary each day. This may be achieved by:
Limiting recreational screen time to no more than 2 hours per
day; lower levels are associated with additional health benefits.
Limiting sedentary (motorized) transport, extended sitting and
time spent indoors throughout the day.
fOr yOUth: 12–17 years
Guidelines
For health benefits, youth aged 12–17 years should minimize the time
they spend being sedentary each day. This may be achieved by:
Limiting recreational screen time to no more than 2 hours per
day; lower levels are associated with additional health benefits.
Limiting sedentary (motorized) transport, extended sitting and
time spent indoors throughout the day.
7
are we Driving Our Kids to
Unhealthy habits?
Active transportation – walking, biking, in-line skating hOw many ChilDren engage in
and skateboarding to get to and from places such as aCtive transPOrtatiOn?
school, parks and shops – has long been known to be an In Canada, a recent survey found that although 58% of
important source of physical activity for children and parents walked to school when they were kids, only 28%
youth.14-17 If children walked for all trips of less than of their children walk to school today.27 In just one decade
one kilometre rather than being driven, they would take (2000 to 2010), the proportion of 5- to 17-year-olds using only
an average of 2,238 additional steps per day!17 This inactive modes of transportation (e.g., bus, train, car) to get to and
translates to approximately 15-20 minutes of walking and from school has increased from 51% to 62%.28
thus has the potential to make a substantial contribu-
tion to the 60 minutes of daily physical activity kids need Many different data sources in different age groups suggest that
for overall health. Imagine the potential impact this only 25-35% of Canadian children and youth walk, bike or wheel to
small change could have on increasing overall physical and from school.27-30 This percentage increases with age during
activity levels in Canadian kids! elementary school, but then decreases as children move to
secondary school.30 In youth aged 15-17, the daily time spent
One of the great things about active transportation is that it can be walking decreased from 17 to 11 minutes between 1992 and 2010;
easily integrated into everyday life with little or even no cost. And this decline was particularly evident in girls.29
its benefits are significant. Active transportation could help to
reverse the recent decline in rates of walking and biking for There are also large regional variations in the percentage of
transportation, and thus presents a major opportunity for improving children who use active transportation. For example:
health among children and youth. Research suggests that, given › Walking is the most common travel mode among elementary
the choice, most children would prefer to walk or bike to school school children in inner-city Toronto, but children and youth
rather than take a bus or be driven by their parents.18 from suburban areas are mostly driven to school.31
› Active transportation is more common in the territories
In addition to improving overall physical health, and British Columbia, and less common in Atlantic Canada
active transportation may: 19-26 and Québec.28
› Improve fitness and heart health › Active transportation is more common in urban areas,
› Increase academic achievement especially in cities with 100,000-250,000 inhabitants.28
› Provide social opportunities
› Reduce stress Car triPs On the rise
› Improve air quality and reduce risk of lung diseases While rates of walking are declining, the percentage of
(e.g., asthma) adolescents who take all their trips by car has gone up
over time.29 This trend leads to more car traffic in school
Kids who use active transportation to get to and from surroundings – and a sizable proportion of this traffic comes from
school can accumulate up to 45 more minutes daily of parents whose children live within a reasonable walking distance
moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity but are nevertheless driven to and from school. For example, in
compared to kids who get to school via car, train or bus.15 the Greater Toronto Area, more than 30% of 8- to 14-year-olds
These kids tend to be more active across the whole day, not who live within two kilometres of school are driven.32
just during the school commute.15 Driving our kids to and from
school may be robbing them of an important source of daily Parents may feel that they are keeping their children safe by
physical activity. driving them to school. Ironically, they are contributing to
increased traffic volumes around schools (and thus the risk of road
accidents) for children who use active transportation, creating a
vicious circle.33 In this context, it is an uphill battle to promote
active transportation to individuals who are in the habit of taking
most trips by car.
8 RepoRt CaRd on physiCal aCtivity foR ChildRen and youth | 2013 aCtive healthy Kids Canada