ParticipACTION report card gives young people a D+ on physical activity
This week, ParticipACTION gave Canadian kids and young people a D+ grade for physical activity levels.
The non-profit charitable organization said kids are still getting a failing grades, which means more needs to be done to boost their activity levels.
“That means that only 39 per cent of children and youth in Canada are getting the recommended 60 minutes of heart-pumping physical activity per day,” said Brianne Bruijns, exercise scientist with ParticipACTION.
While families and schools are big influences, Bruijns said a coordinated effort is needed.
“Parks and recreation facilities in the community are huge influences on physical activity, especially for low-income Canadians,” she said.
“Policies can be put in place to safeguard physical activity by investing in active transportation infrastructure, things like creating subsidies for low-income Canadians.”
Cindy Dent, Sudbury’s manager of recreation, said the city works hard to provide opportunities for people to get active in their own neighbourhoods.
This week, ParticipACTION gave Canadian kids and young people a D+ grade for physical activity levels. (File)
“Between our arenas, our pools, our fitness centres, a lot of our volunteer-supported outdoor rinks, the skate path on Ramsey (Lake) and beaches, we are very fortunate here to have a number of different opportunities here for our residents,” Dent said.
She said the city will spend more than $4 million on the outdoor court revitalization, which is expected to be complete by 2027.
Officials at the YMCA in Sudbury said many people don’t know there is a sliding scale for fees for families with financial challenges.
Financial support
“Here at the Y, we do everything we can to financially support those to access all of our programs and services as well as any of our camps,” said Kendra MacIsaac, the YMCA’s vice-president of health and wellness.
But MacIsaac said many people still haven’t gotten back into their pre-COVID-19 routines, especially when it comes to getting active.
“Pre-pandemic our financial assistance rate was close to 30 per cent of our membership, which was pretty significant,” she said.
“Coming out of the pandemic, we did not renew anybody who was receiving any type of financial support because we didn’t know what their financial circumstances were. So those people have had to reapply.”
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
The report found that some of the barriers kids face when it comes to being active include screen time, cost and time constraints, as well as climate change.
Another notable finding in the report is that 31 per cent of girls compared to 57 per cent of boys are meeting the physical activity recommendation.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'The root cause': Canada outlines national action plan to fight auto theft
The federal government is launching what it calls its 'national action plan' to combat auto thefts, which will include stronger penalties for thieves, and increased information sharing between police agencies, government officials and border enforcement.
What is BORG drinking, and why is it a dangerous trend? An expert explains
If you've been to a party lately and haven't seen someone drinking a BORG, you're likely not partying with college students.
The world's best airline is paying staff a bonus of 8 months' salary
Singapore Airlines will reward its employees with a bonus worth nearly eight months of salary, a person familiar with the matter told CNN on Friday.
Michael Cohen says he stole from Trump's company as defence presses key hush money trial witness
Michael Cohen testified Monday that he stole tens of thousands of dollars from his ex-boss Donald Trump’s company, an admission defence lawyers hope to use to undermine Cohen’s credibility.
Red Lobster probes 'endless shrimp' losses after bankruptcy filing
U.S.-based restaurant chain Red Lobster has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a Florida court after securing $100 million in financing commitments from its existing lenders, the company said on Sunday.
'Next man up': Canucks coach, teammates bracing for Game 7 without Brock Boeser
Questions about how the team is going to handle the absence of star winger Brock Boeser from a do-or-die game seven dominated pre-game interviews with the Vancouver Canucks coach and players Monday morning.
Katy Perry sings goodbye to 'American Idol'
Katy Perry said her goodbyes on 'American Idol' after seven seasons. On Sunday night’s live 'idol' season finale, a medley of Perry's hit songs were performed, including 'Teenage Dream,' 'Dark Horse' and 'California Gurls.'
U.S. Supreme Court rejects appeal from former Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by a Canadian-born former Guantanamo detainee who was seeking to wipe away his war crimes convictions, including for killing a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan.
Woman, 35, in critical condition after her truck collided with a Via Rail train near Montreal
A 35-year-old woman is in critical condition after the pick-up truck she was driving was struck by a Via Rail passenger train Monday morning in Quebec's Monteregie region.