Fit Facts

• 33% of 7- to 13-year-old males in Canada are overweight; an additional 10% are considered obese.¹
• 27% and 9% of young females in Canada are overweight and obese respectively. ¹
• The prevalence of overweight and obesity in Canadian young people appears to be on the rise.^{1, 2}
• Obesity in childhood is related to obesity in adulthood.^{3, 4}
• Furthermore, overweight and obesity in childhood is linked to morbidity and mortality in adulthood.³
• There is evidence that there has been a decline in the aerobic fitness of young people in the last decade or so. ^{5, 6, 7}

Activity Facts:

• The most popular physical activities among Canadian young people are walking for exercise, bicycling, swimming, jogging/running, and basketball.⁸
• Over half of 5- to 17-year-olds in Canada are not active enough for optimal growth and development.⁹
• The majority of adolescents in Canada are not meeting the current recommendations for physical activity.¹⁰
• Approximately half of teens are not vigorously active on a regular basis.¹⁰
• Schoolchildren are less active on weekends than during the week.^{11, 12}
• Physical activity decreases with increasing age or school grade.¹⁰
• In one study, schoolchildren in grades 4-6 were 40% less active than schoolchildren in grades 1-3.¹²
• In the same study, schoolchildren in grades 7-9 were 35% less active than schoolchildren in grades 4-6. An identical decline was observed in grade 10-12 students compared to the previous grade category.¹²
• On average, young people in Canada spend between 13 and 14 hours per week watching television.¹¹
• There is evidence to suggest that obesity is related to physical inactivity.¹³

Benefits of Activity:

• Physical activity does not have a detrimental impact on - and might even enhance - academic performance in students.^{14, 15, 16}
• Schoolchildren who are more physically active have considerably higher levels of self-esteem and body image.^{16, 17}
• Schoolchildren with a healthy body weight are less likely to acquire risk factors for cardiovascular disease than overweight schoolchildren.¹⁸

Sources