Statistics & Public Opinion

Statistics & Public Opinion

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Re: Physical Activity Levels & Obesity in Children & Youth

I) Statistics on Canadian Physical Activity Levels of Children and Youth

Source: Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute, 2000 Physical Activity Monitor

Over half of Canadian children and youth aged five to 17 are not active enough for optimal growth and development. The term "active enough" is equivalent to an energy expenditure of at least eight kilocalories per kilogram of body weight per day.

Canadian girls are less active than boys, with only 38 percent of girls and 48 percent of boys considered active enough. Thirty percent of adolescent girls and 40 percent of adolescent boys are considered active enough.

II) Overweight and Obesity Among Canadian Children and Youth

Source: Report from the Canadian Medical Association Journal (Nov. 2000, Jan.2001))

A study by Mark Tremblay (University of Saskatchewan) and Douglas Willms (Canadian Research Institute for Social Policy, University of New Brunswick) highlights an alarming rise in the incidence of child and youth obesity attributed to various changes in society that have created an opportunity for more sedentary behaviour and the consumption of food that is high in kilojoules.

Since 1981, the prevalence of overweight boys increased from 15 percent in 1981 to 35.4 percent in 1996, and among girls from 15 percent to 29.2 percent. During the same timeframe,
the prevalence of obesity in children tripled, from five percent to 16.6 percent for boys and from five percent to 14.6 percent for girls.

A major concern regarding childhood obesity is that obese children tend to have an increased risk of becoming overweight in adulthood and with higher morbidity and mortality rates in adulthood. Increasingly, paediatricians are seeing a rise in the incidence of type 2 diabetes, childhood hyperlipidemia, hypertension and diabetes in severely overweight children.

Source: Statistics Canada National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth: Childhood Obesity, October 2002

Over one-third of Canadian children aged 2 to 11 were overweight in 1998/99, and of these, about half could be considered obese, according to a snapshot of childhood obesity from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth.

In 1994/95, 34% of children aged 2 to 11 were overweight, with an estimated 16% classified as obese. By 1998/99, 37% of children aged 2 to 11 were overweight, including 18% who were classified as obese.

NLSCY estimates on obesity among children were slightly higher than estimates for adults determined by the 2000/01 Canadian Community Health Survey. These data, released in The Daily on May 8, 2002, showed that about 32% of adults were overweight, including 15% who were classified obese. The youngest adult age group (20 to 24) was the least overweight.

The NLSCY collects parent-reported or self-reported data for height and weight and does not include directly measured values. This may result in some under-estimation of the levels of obesity in Canadian children.

Body mass index (BMI) was calculated using self-reported height and weight data for children over age 11 in each cycle, and from parent-reported data for children aged 11 or younger. The BMI is calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by height in meters squared.

III) Public Opinion on Physical Activity and Children and Youth
Source: Environics poll by the Canadian Paediatric Society, March 2002-09-13

This research study found that 78 percent of Canadians believe children and teenagers spend too much time on non-physical activities like watching television and using the computer. Sixty-three percent said children and youth are not physically active enough.

Eighty percent of Canadians said they believe physical activity is “as important as nutrition” to the health of children and teenagers and 16 percent said they consider physical activity “more important”.

The poll also found that 42 percent of Canadians believe competing priorities, such as school, part-time jobs, television and computers prevent kids from being more active.

Fourteen percent cited the lack of financial resources as a barrier to increased physical activity and 13 percent of Canadians said they were unaware of the importance of physical activity in growing children and teens.

Forty-five percent of Canadians cited “parents” as the most effective role models for their children and teenagers to become more physically active, while 27 percent said “friends or peers”.

Sixty-one percent said that parents could most effectively advise and encourage inactive youth to become more physically active, followed by coaches and recreation leaders at 19 percent, teachers at 11 percent and doctors at four percent.

The Environics poll surveyed 2,014 adults in March and the results are accurate to within +/-2.2 percent at a 95 percent level of confidence. The poll was released to mark the CPS's strong support of the Public Health Agency of Canada's new Physical Activity Guides for Children and Youth.

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