Canadians drop the ball on kids getting enough physical activity, report says

Canadians are not up to par when it comes to ensuring their kids are getting enough exercise, according to a recent report.

Non-for-profit PartcipACTION released this year's report card on youth physical health, indicating a concerning downward trend.

Researchers found children and youth in Canada were less active than in 2020, giving a D grade for overall physical activity, downgraded from the D+ in 2020.

The report implies that 28 per cent of kids get the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity.

"It's probably not a surprise why we've seen that decline given the last two years, the opportunities to get active were removed. Schools shifted to a virtual setting. We were heavily reliant on screens, more so than usual in regards to how we were learning," says ParticipAction's Scientific Director, Dr. Leigh Vanderloo.

Not only has screen use increased for education purposes, but only 18 per cent of kids hit the daily recommended two-hour cap for recreational screen time, resulting in an F for sedentary behaviour on the report card.

"It's really important that we start to look at ways on how we can start replacing screen use and time spent engaging on-screen use with other forms of recreation, even reading," says Dr.Vanderloo.

She recommends that adults and parents look at their screen use habits, so it's not just on the child.

"Are we on screens a lot at home? Do we have screens in the bedroom? Do we allow screens at the dinner table," she adds.

Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital's Chief of Neonatal & Paediatric Medicine, Dr. Ryan Smith, says insufficient physical activity can pose serious health risks in children.

"Increased obesity and overweight rates in childhood population, including hypertension, high blood pressure, risk of Type 2 Diabetes which has its own complications, increased cholesterol and liquid levels," says Dr.Smith.

Dr. Vanderloo says it's also essential to look at social barriers to health, including income, education and geography.

"To really ensure that those families and those children have the necessary supports in place to help make the healthy choice the easy choice," she adds.

However, there were some positive spots in this year's report. Dr. Vanderloo says active play and active transportation improved and that more families have embraced parks, trails and outdoor spaces.