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Canadian kids rank low in global
childhood physical activity report
THE CANADIAN PRESS Updated: November 26, 2018
Clcl ierrlle)Pl r;l'iil d %,,,'.i i doh", t g tM 'ty, JANA CHYTILOVA /THE OTTAWA CITIZEN
TORONTO — Canadian kids continue to rank low
in a global report on physical activity.
The most recent release from the Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance finds
children in Slovenia and Japan to be the most active among 49 countries
studied.
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11/27/2018 Canadian kids rank low in global childhood physical activity report I Ottawa Citizen
Canada scored D+ in categories that measure overall physical activity and
sedentary behaviour, and a D in the newest indicator, physical fitness.
The Canadian data was drawn from the ParticipAction Report Card on
Physical Activity for Children and Youth released in June. That report gave
Canadian kids a D+ for overall physical activity, up slightly from D- in
2016.
The global report blames Canada's dismal showing on too much screen
time, the urbanization of communities and increasing automation of
domestic chores.
It says countries with the most active children and youth foster physical
activity by "pervasive cultural and social norms."
Slovenia integrates sport with national identity and regularly measures
the physical fitness of children 6 to 19 years old. It scored a top grade of A -
for overall physical activity, a B+ for family and peers and an A for
government, which evaluates strategy and resources.
Meanwhile, Japan has a highly established walking -to -school policy and
earned an A- for active transportation and an A for physical fitness.
Alliance president and Ottawa physician Dr. Mark Tremblay says activity
levels overall are too low, and deemed it "a global childhood inactivity
epidemic."
He acknowledged that data provided by participating countries is
inconsistent, with many in the current study supplying incomplete
information.
But he was buoyed by the addition of 15 countries to the study, including
several in South America. He says four countries from the previous study
in 2016 dropped out of the survey.
Tremblay, also a researcher with the ParticipAction survey, says Canada
can improve its ranking by encouraging kids to walk, bike or wheel to
school, and better managing screen time.
In the ParticipAction report, just 35 per cent of kids age five -to -17, and 62
per cent of kids age three -to -four were found to get the exercise they
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11/27/2018
Canadian kids rank low in global childhood physical activity report I Ottawa Citizen
need, while 51 per cent engage in more recreational screen time than is
recommended.
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