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Child/teen physical activity vs. inactivity


shootingstar

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So not surprisingly a large % of children don't meet minimum physical activity...at least not in Canada.

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/healthy-living/how-healthy-canadians.html#s3-5-4

Well, looking back:  we were too poor to enroll in any organized sport, other than what schools provided. (which now is being cut back a lot).  I did play softball in summer for several years informally only at school, with other girls. Then stopped after elementary school.  I was not in any sport (after giving up on field hockey which I found I was getting too tired running up and down the field in high school).  So I was tooling around a shared bike with other sisters in summer.  I never rode further than maybe 5 km. or so, each trip on my own. But still enjoyable escape at time. 

I did help occasionally in snow shovelling, raking leaves, washing floors/light housework. I did walk with mother to supermarket and back to carry groceries which probably happened once a wk. or so until my mid teens.  I remember taking bus and paper bag broke where some oranges fell out...  I did walk up to an hr. round trip daily to school from middle school to high school. Includes university also. Every day no matter what the weather. My father didn't drive us most of the time.  He was asleep after coming home at 1:00 am from night shift at restaurant.  I have to credit my good health, the healthy food/diet my mother gave to all of us for first 19 yrs. for each of our lives.

 

Physical inactivity

More than three quarters (77.8%, or 20.1 million) of Canadian adults 18 and over and 90.7% of children and youth aged 5-17 years are not meeting the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines (2012-13, CHMS).

Physical inactivity has been identified as an important public health concern for Canadians of all ages. It has been identified by the WHO as the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality and linked to a number of chronic diseases, including CVDs, cancer and diabetes.Footnote 7.

It is recommended that children and youth engage in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity for at least 60 minutes each day. For adults, the recommendation is for 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each week, in bouts of 10 minutes or more.Footnote 8.

Trends - There has been no significant change in the proportion of children not obtaining 60 minutes per day of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity since 2007-2009 when data from accelerometers were examined (90.9% ASR in 2012-13). The pedometer data used to track federal/provincial/territorial physical activity targets over the last decade (2005-2015) have shown no change in the proportion of children and youth meeting recommendations, but have demonstrated a small and statistically significant decrease in the mean number of steps taken [CANPLAY].

The proportion of adults not meeting the guidelines based on accelerometer data has not changed significantly in recent years: 82.9% ASR (2007-09), 86.6% ASR (2009-11) and 78.2% ASR (2012-13). Based on self-reported data over the last decade (2005-2015), there was a small but statistically significant increase in the proportion of adults who reported being active or moderately active [CCHS].

Physical Inactivity in 2012-2013 by

Sex - A significantly greater proportion of girls (94.1%) than boys (86.9%) do not meet the level of activity recommended by the guidelines. The proportion of men and women who do not obtain enough physical activity to meet the guidelines does not differ significantly: 76.5% for men and 79.1% for women.
Age - In general, adherence to the guidelines diminishes with age. The most recent data show that the proportion of 5-11 year olds who do not meet the guidelines is 86.5%, while it climbs to 94.4% for 12-17 year olds. In adults, adherence to the guidelines diminishes with age. A greater proportion of younger adults (aged 18-34) achieve the recommended amount of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity when compared to older adults. More than four in five adults aged 35 or older are inactive: 82.0% for 35-49 year olds, 83.3% for 50-64 year olds and 88.2% for adults aged 65 years and over.

Image 2: Prevalence of Physical Inactivity

Image 2: Prevalence of Physical Inactivity

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20 minutes ago, Longjohn said:

My kids and grandkids all had lots of physical activity and stil do. None are overweight. You can raise up a kid to be a couch potato but you are doing them a lifetime disservice if you do.

I'm not parent and as an aunt observing how my 3 sisters have been raising their children, it requires some conscious choices by parents for both exercise and food choice/intake. Looks tough at times.  My eldest niece was involved in Brownies and Girl Guides but she did not join any organized sport from middle school and up.  Yes, she has been good/slim.  Now in her mid-30's, she probably needs to do something...which she is....she does walk a lot.  She lives near subway which makes everything easier.  I believe that was conscious location choice with her hubby, who needs car to drive to work inspections at times.

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48 minutes ago, JerrySTL said:

My oldest daughter took her 5 YO twin boys out for a 1 mile run this morning. They are training for a 5K. It was 20°F when they ran. As you might guess, both my daughter and SIL are runners. 

Wow. I'm sure she will make it fun. 

Aa a cyclist, if I'm asked/sense for an occasional cyclist at work, I will suggest a route if I'm told their children have bikes, if I know their neighbourhood. I will ask where the children are at with respect bike riding skills.

What is cool is the rare child who joins their cycling parent when I go into our large communal bike cage for employees to pick up our bikes at end of workday. They are very young...for bike trailers, sometimes on a tandem. Of course, day care isn't so conveniently located near parent's workplace for a lot of people.

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One problem today is the electronic games and Internet kids are addicted to.  If my brother and sister-in-law didn't have my nephew playing organized sports all year, he'd be a couch potato.

A big problem in the USA is the lack of safety for kids playing without adult supervision.  When I was 6 years-old in the mid-50's I was free to roam the neighborhood with my friends.  When I was 13, another boy and I carried an avg. $300 in a marked bank bag 1/2 mile though a lower-income area to a bank on Fridays for the nuns in our Catholic school.  It never entered anyone's mind that we'd be robbed and we never were.

Today, parents are scared for their kids safety and lock their doors themselves.

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5 minutes ago, MickinMD said:

One problem today is the electronic games and Internet kids are addicted to.  If my brother and sister-in-law didn't have my nephew playing organized sports all year, he'd be a couch potato.

A big problem in the USA is the lack of safety for kids playing without adult supervision.  When I was 6 years-old in the mid-50's I was free to roam the neighborhood with my friends.  When I was 13, another boy and I carried an avg. $300 in a marked bank bag 1/2 mile though a lower-income area to a bank on Fridays for the nuns in our Catholic school.  It never entered anyone's mind that we'd be robbed and we never were.

Today, parents are scared for their kids safety and lock their doors themselves.

That's nonsense.  Didn't have electronic games really when I was growing up or cable TV, still had friends that were basically couch potatoes.  People just use games as an excuse because it is something easy to point to but there has always been activities for the more sedentary types to do.  Models, RC Cars, Erector Sets, Electronic Hobby sets...., the options have always been pretty much endless.

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I think it just follows the trend with adults who are less active.  Less active adults have less active kids... A couple of thoughts:

Is it really less safe now as in years before or do parents feel it is less safe?  How has the media played to this fear?

Organized sports are great but active play has been on the decline for generations, mostly due to my earlier point. Also, unless your kid plays a sport at a high level like club soccer it’s not enough activity.  1 practice a week and a game is what, 2.5 hours of activity a week?  Signing Johnny up for little league is not enough activity and parents are kidding themselves thinking it is.   Kids need to be outside playing. 

How many kids walk or ride a bike to school? I bet a parent would be reported for letting their child walk to school unaccompanied today...

I haven’t seen so much a cut in sports in HS with my kids but definitely a cut in funding.  What made me really proud as a booster is we were able to pay for any athlete who had the desire but not the means to play. We purchased cleats/shoes & personal protective gear for many athletes.  We also helped fund personal coaching & tournament fees for kids who couldn’t afford it.   

 

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I see kids here getting after it all the time. I saw two kids(maybe 12 or 13) on the bus, no parents, riding home from a day of skiing. When I ski, I see kids (ages 3-10) in ski school. Those kids ski all day(6 hrs with a lunch break). I see kids mt biking and road riding. One guy I ride with has two kids that can drop me. They are 15 and 17 and so humble. I have two co-workers teaching their two yr olds to ski. One has a five yr old on the lifts now. They can't get him to stop when they take him to the local pump track. I went mt biking with a 15 yr old. He was on a unicycle doing lift runs. Last summer that kid climbed El Cap with his dad. I know a teen who loves video games. He's also on the CC team, nordic team, and track team. In just two years of participating, he's become more fit than I am. I respect that. Kids get after it.

I hear adults complain about type II meds, high BP meds, meds, meds. And we bitch about millenials and kids?

People exercise because they want to or don't want to. It's a choice. I believe in freewill.  

Look at these kids taking life seriously.

 

 

 

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17 minutes ago, ChrisL said:

I think it just follows the trend with adults who are less active.  Less active adults have less active kids... A couple of thoughts:

Is it really less safe now as in years before or do parents feel it is less safe?  How has the media played to this fear?

Organized sports are great but active play has been on the decline for generations, mostly due to my earlier point. Also, unless your kid plays a sport at a high level like club soccer it’s not enough activity.  1 practice a week and a game is what, 2.5 hours of activity a week?  Signing Johnny up for little league is not enough activity and parents are kidding themselves thinking it is.   Kids need to be outside playing. 

How many kids walk or ride a bike to school? I bet a parent would be reported for letting their child walk to school unaccompanied today...

I haven’t seen so much a cut in sports in HS with my kids but definitely a cut in funding.  What made me really proud as a booster is we were able to pay for any athlete who had the desire but not the means to play. We purchased cleats/shoes & personal protective gear for many athletes.  We also helped fund personal coaching & tournament fees for kids who couldn’t afford it.   

 

Nailed it Chris.

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33 minutes ago, dennis said:

I see kids here getting after it all the time. I saw two kids(maybe 12 or 13) on the bus, no parents, riding home from a day of skiing. When I ski, I see kids (ages 3-10) in ski school. Those kids ski all day(6 hrs with a lunch break). I see kids mt biking and road riding. One guy I ride with has two kids that can drop me. They are 15 and 17 and so humble. I have two co-workers teaching their two yr olds to ski. One has a five yr old on the lifts now. They can't get him to stop when they take him to the local pump track. I went mt biking with a 15 yr old. He was on a unicycle doing lift runs. Last summer that kid climbed El Cap with his dad. I know a teen who loves video games. He's also on the CC team, nordic team, and track team. In just two years of participating, he's become more fit than I am. I respect that. Kids get after it.

I hear adults complain about type II meds, high BP meds, meds, meds. And we bitch about millenials and kids?

People exercise because they want to or don't want to. It's a choice. I believe in freewill.  

Look at these kids taking life seriously.

 

 

 

Parents who are active introduce their kids to fun shit and of course they have a blast doing it.

I think my son was the exception though. I’m not a baseball dude, never played past little league but for some reason my son took to it like a fish to water. It consumed him for the better part of 12 years. Neither of my kids ride, surf or ran like I did/do. 

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