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The Healthy Kids Community ChallengeFACTS

Our community is one of 45 across Ontario taking part in The Healthy Kids Community Challenge. The Healthy Kids Community Challenge unites communities with a common goal: promoting children’s health through physical activity and healthy eating.

Our community will be launching projects that strive for that goal while meeting local needs.

About every nine months, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care will launch a new theme related to physical activity or healthy eating; two protective factors associated with healthy weights in children. Communities will rally around the theme, and work with partners in many sectors developing programs, policies and initiatives that promote and enable healthy behaviours.

The first theme is Run. Jump. Play. Every Day. This theme encourages physical activity through a mix of active play, sport, active transportation and structured activities. Any form of fun or regular movement is physical activity. For kidsof all ages, it should include bouts of moderate to vigorous activity to raise their heart rate.

Quick facts.Childhood overweight and obesity• Almost 30% of Ontario children and youth are overweight

or obese1

• Childhood obesity is associated with an increased risk of chronic disease and premature death in adulthood2

• Children and youth who are overweight or obese are more likely to become obese adults. In one study, overweight 2-5 year olds were 4 times as likely to be overweight as adults3

• Adult obesity is associated with increased risk of coronary artery disease, stroke, hypertension, breast and colon cancer, type 2 diabetes, gall bladder disease and osteoarthritis4

• Unhealthy weights can influence self-esteem, social inclusion and mental health in children and youth5

Ontario.ca/healthykids

Levels of physical activity• Currently in Canada, only 14% of kids aged 5-11 meet the

Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines. Only 5% of 12-17 years olds are active enough to meet the guidelines6

• 40% of kids aged 5-17 get 60 minutes of physical activity at least 3 days a week. But to meet the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines and achieve health benefits, these kids need to get 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day of the week7

Sedentary behaviours• 73% of parents in Canada report that their 5-19 year

olds watch TV, play video games and use a computer after school7

• Kids aged 3-4 spend 7.5 hours a day being sedentary. Those aged 5-11 spend 7.6 hours. Those aged 12-17 spend 9.3 hours. That can add up to the equivalent of a full work day that kids are inactive7

• 61% of Canadian parents strongly or somewhat agree that their children and youth spend too much time watching television or using the computer7

• Research suggests that high levels of sedentary behaviour increase health risks in children, no matter how active they are at other times7

Active play• Over the last decade there has been a 14% drop in the

number of Canadian kids who play outside after school8

• Evidence suggests there was a 25% decline in active play in 6- to 8-year-old children between 1981 and 19978

• 46% of Canadian kids aged 6-11 get 3 hours or less of unstructured, physically active play a week, including weekends8

• Children who spend more time outdoors tend to have higher levels of physical activity9

• Only 37% of parents say they often play active games with their children7

Active transportation• 58% of Canadian parents walked to school when they were

children. Today, only 28% of their children do7

• Only 6% of Canadian kids take the recommended 12,000 steps per day7

• If children walked for all trips of less than 1 kilometre rather than being driven, this would add an average of 2,238 healthy steps to their day8

• Children who walk, bike, or use other active transportation to get to and from school are more active than children who are driven. This is true during the whole day, not just during the trips to and from school7

• A Canadian survey found that only 35% of schools have programs designed to encourage active transportation like walking or biking to school10

• The ‘built environment’ may influence how active children can be. Features that can contribute are neighbourhoods that kids can walk or bike in. Availability of public transportation is also important. So is a mix of residential,

commercial, retail and recreational destinations. Communities with poor street connectivity and a lack of destinations within safe walking distance may play a role in decreased levels of physical activity11

Sports and organized physical activity• 79% of parents support their kids’ physical activity

financially through things like fees and equipment. 64% take them to physical activities often or very often7

• Canadian children who take part in organized physical activities or sports take an average of almost 1,700 more steps per day than children who do not take part6

• Participation in organized sports alone may not provide the recommended amount of physical activity. For example, a study revealed that 24% of children got at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity during one soccer session. But only 2% of children and youth got at least this much physical activity during a softball practice. Another study revealed that during a hockey game, children spend nearly a third of their time being inactive7

• As children grow older, they participate less and less in organized physical activities and sports. At all ages, more boys than girls participate. 91% of 5 to 10-year-old boys take part in organized physical activities and sports after school. Only 48% of 15 to 19-year-old boys do. 88% of 5 to 10-year-old girls participate, but only 30% of 15 to 19-year-old girls7

• As income increases, so does participation in organized physical activities or sports. In 2006 – 2007, there was a 15% difference in participation rates between Ontario children and youth living in higher-income families and those living in lower-income families12

• A Canadian survey found that 60% of parents reported that the community facilities and programs available to them meet their child’s physical activity needs well13

• Ontario students in grades 1 to 8 are required to take part in at least 20 minutes of sustained, moderate to vigorous physical activity each school day

To learn more about the activities in your community or to get involved, contact your Healthy Kids Community Challenge project manager.

Learn more about healthy behaviours for our kids at Ontario.ca/healthykids

References.1. Statistics Canada. (2004). Canadian Community Health

Survey, 2.2.

2. Reilly, J.J., & Kelly, J. (2011). Long-term impact of overweight and obesity in childhood and adolescence on morbidity and premature mortality in adulthood: Systematic review. International Journal of Obesity. 2011;35(7):891-8.

3. Freedman, D.S., Khan, L.K., Serdula, M.K., Dietz, W.H., Srinivasan, S.R., & Berenson, G.S. (2005). The relation of childhood BMI to adult adiposity: The Bogalusa Heart Study. Pediatrics, 2005;115(1):22-27.

4. Janssen, I. (2013). The public health burden of obesity in Canada. Canadian Journal of Diabetes; 2013, 37:90-96.

5. Strauss, R.S. (2000). Childhood obesity and self-esteem. Pediatrics, 2000;105(1):e15.

6. ParticipACTION. (2015) The Biggest Risk is Keeping Kids Indoors. The 2015 ParticipACTION Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth. Toronto: ParticipACTION; 2015.

7. Active Healthy Kids Canada. (2014). Is Canada in the Running? The Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth. Toronto: Active Healthy Kids Canada. Available from: http://dvqdas9jty7g6.cloudfront.net/reportcard2014/AHKC_2014_ReportCard_ENG.pdf

8. Active Healthy Kids Canada. (2012). Is active play extinct? The Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth. Toronto: Active Healthy Kids Canada. Available from: http://dvqdas9jty7g6.cloudfront.net/reportcards2012/AHKC%202012%20-%20Report%20Card%20Long%20Form%20-%20FINAL.pdf

9. Cleland, V., et al. (2008). A prospective examination of children’s time spent outdoors, objectively measured physical activity and overweight. International Journal of Obesity, 2008;32(11):1685-1693.

10. O’Loghlen, S., Pickett. J.W., & Janssen, I. (2011). Active transportation environments surrounding Canadian schools. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 2011;102(5):364-8.

11. Rahman, T., Cushing, R.A., & Jackson, R.J. (2011). Contributions of built environment to childhood obesity. Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine, 2011;78(1):49-57.

12. Ungerleider, C. (2009). (Unpublished report, Canadian Council on Learning). Looking to the future: Measuring child and youth well-being in Ontario. A profile of Ontario’s children and youth. Submitted to: Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services. Toronto, ON: Queen’s Printer for Ontario.

13. Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute. (2007). 2005 Physical Activity Monitor. Bulletin 5: Local opportunities to be active. Ottawa: Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute.

Catalogue No. 020169 ISBN 978-1-4606-6239-7 (PDF) August 2015 © 2015 Queen’s Printer for Ontario