Physical Activity Fail: Canadian Youth Version

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Canadians are playing the game of catch-up with us Americans, in terms of childhood obesity and inadequate fitness. Compared to our national guidelines of 60 minutes a day for children 2-18, theirs recommend 90 minutes daily, but 87% of their children fall short of satisfying it. Once again, Active Healthy Kids Canada are giving Canadian youth bad marks, initially grading them a “D” in overall physical activity from the report card’s debut in 2005-2008, but this year they reached a new low – the physical activity grassroots group, for the first time gave them an “F.”

That’s right, and I bet that 90% (that gives them an “F” in the category, thank you) are doing non-Wii-Fit screen action for more than 2 hours on end daily, but the report card shows more to this. AHK gave them a “C” for organized sport and physical activity participation, due to the growing number of families trying to be so frugal that they tend to glean out extracurricular activities relating to sport or some other activity that pertains to exercise to a lesser extent, like hip-hop dance classes. To add insult to injury which labeled them a “D” in active transportation, 80% never biked to school and one in three never ambled there. Finally the active play indicator tells little, save for the fact that one in three of them participate in active free time – playing outside or doing the “freeze dance.”

That is really disheartening, aside from the fact that 26% of Canadian youth are overweight or obese. I personally have a best friend who had high blood pressure, and she is just 12 years old and is obese. She is doing fine now, and besides taking her medication, she will go to a weight-loss camp, I believe. I bet that growing ranks of Canadian youth (and American ones too) would go the same path – being afflicted with metabolic syndrome. Childhood obesity aside, they will complain of back pains in later life, and a recent study from the University of Alberta, which is (shudders) a Canadian education institution, showed that 28% of the 240 subjects experienced less pain in the said region and 36% less disability if they exercised 4 days a week.

If I were to spend spring break in Canada, I’d convince children that there is more to exercise than sexy women in sleeveless tanks and jazz pants or shirtless machos doing Zumba or Pilates – I walk around the house for no less than 9 laps a day. Maybe fun, movement-based, activities they enjoy would set standards for motivation! So, for a healthier Canada, besides a healthy diet, physical activity must be stressed by saying that exercise is the raddest thing ever!

Time to get serious – read the whole report card or the abridged version, and weep.