Report highlights how little exercise Canadian children are getting

By

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A dire snapshot of what the health of Canadian children looks like as a new report released from the Conference Board of Canada shows only nine per cent of kids between the ages of five and 17 actually get 60 minutes of exercise a day. The recommendation calls for moderate to vigorous physical activity at least six days a week.

The report says finds children today are spending an alarming amount of time in front of a screen, which they should only be doing for up to two hours a day.

“This decrease in physical activity and increase in sedentary behaviour are associated with a rise in overweight and obesity prevalence, as well as an elevated risk of chronic diseases later in life. Therefore, it is imperative that children increase their levels of physical activity and reduce the time they spend being sedentary,” finds the report.

It also finds the school environment can actually be problematic because children spend so much time sitting at their desks. Experts recommend schools and teachers include classroom activity breaks and the promotion of active transportation as ways to increase how much kids get around.

“How do we integrate more standing, more physical activity when we’re learning lessons that are not physical education? Like in math class, there are potential opportunities there to get kids moving as they’re learning and it’s just a new way of doing things,” explains Director of Health Economics Thy Dinh.

A lack of physical activity has been linked to chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today