Weather alerts becoming an added barrier to getting children and youth active, ParticipACTION Report Card says
An increase in weather alerts across the country and the impacts of a changing climate are becoming an added barrier to getting children and youth active in Canada, according to a new report.
The 2024 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth by ParticipACTION gives children a "D+" grade for overall physical activity, up from a "D" grade in 2022.
The report shows only 39 per cent of children and youth, ages 5 to 17, are getting the recommended 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day.
- Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
ParticipACTION says barriers to getting active have varied for children and youth, including increased screen time, decreased opportunities for active transportation, costs and financial commitments and limited access to green space. Now, the report says the impacts of a changing climate are an added barrier to getting children and youth active.
"While the Overall Physical Activity grade has improved, a D+ is still an undesirable grade," the report says.
"As Canada continues to slowly recover from the residual effects of the pandemic on physical activity (e.g., lockdowns, physical distancing and the pausing of organized sports), the impacts of climate change continue to build upon pandemic-related challenges for kids."
The report notes "unfavourable weather and climate conditions," such as heatwaves, heavy rain and smoke-filled air, lead to recesses and outdoor sports and recreation activities being cancelled and forcing kids to stay indoors.
"With overall physical fitness having a direct impact on heat tolerance, it’s possible that children being less fit than ever before could also impact their ability to acclimate to, and tolerate, the rising temperatures of a changing climate," ParticipACTION says.
"Further, given that children cannot regulate their temperature in extremely hot and cold climates as well as adults can because of their greater body surface area relative to weight, this puts them at greater health risk in extreme temperatures before physical fitness levels are even taken into account."
Ottawa, eastern Ontario and western Quebec experienced several days of smoke and haze due to wildfires burning in Quebec last summer. Environment Canada issued special air quality statements due to high levels of air pollution, and people were encouraged to limit activities outdoors.
The report calls for government investments to increase access to active and public transportation to school and other daily commitments to improve physical activity levels. Other recommendations include school boards creating policies to safeguard active play when recess cannot be held outdoors to reduce sedentary and screen time, and for communities to ensure indoor recreational facilities have high-quality air filtration systems.
ParticipACTION also recommends organized sports programs for children and youth to have heat warning systems and develop clear, easy-to-action guidelines and policies for adverse weather events.
Here is a look at the 2024 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth from ParticipACTION:
Active Play: D-. The report says 22 per cent of children and youth accumulated more than two hours per day of total indoor and outdoor unstructured play.
Organized Sport: B. The report shows 66 per cent of children and youth ages 5 to 17 participated in organized sports in the past year.
Physical Education: C. Fifty-three per cent of students met physical education benchmarks.
Sedentary Behaviours: D. Twenty-seven per cent of children and youth met the recommended recreational screen time limit of no more than two hours a day.
Sleep: B. Sixty-five per cent of children and youth met the age-specific sleep recommendations.
24-hour Movement Behaviour: F. The study shows only four per cent of children and youth met the combined 24-Hour Movement Guidelines.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING NEWS 'A horrible way to start the summer': 3 killed in serious boat crash on lake north of Kingston, Ont.
Three people were killed and five others were injured Saturday night following a boat crash on the Buck Bay area of Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont., the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said.
Walmart, Costco refusing to sign grocery code of conduct 'untenable': industry minister
Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says it's 'untenable' for 'smaller players' like Walmart and Costco to delay signing on to the government- and industry-led grocery code of conduct, now that industry giant Loblaw has agreed to do so.
Diddy admits beating ex-girlfriend Cassie, says he's sorry, calls his actions 'inexcusable'
Sean 'Diddy' Combs admitted Sunday that he beat his ex-girlfriend in a hotel hallway in 2016 after CNN released video of the attack, saying in a video apology he was 'truly sorry' and his actions were 'inexcusable.'
French security forces work to regain control of airport highway in violence-scorched New Caledonia
Using armoured vehicles and backhoes to shove aside charred barricades, French security forces worked Sunday to retake control of the highway to the international airport in violence-scorched New Caledonia, shuttered because of deadly unrest wracking the French Pacific archipelago where indigenous people have long sought independence from France.
Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved
Blood biomarkers of telltale signs of early Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of his patient, 55-year-old entrepreneur Simon Nicholls, had all but disappeared in a mere 14 months.
Helicopter carrying Iran's hard-line president apparently crashes in foggy, mountainous region
A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country's foreign minister and other officials apparently crashed in the mountainous northwest reaches of Iran on Sunday, sparking a massive rescue operation in a fog-shrouded forest as the public was urged to pray.
VIDEO Born without front legs, this dog has been inspiring the world for 3 years: Dresden farm owner
A sanctuary dedicated to animals with disabilities is celebrating the third birthday of one of its most popular residents.
Canadian immigration asks medical worker fleeing Gaza if he treated Hamas fighters
Lawyers are questioning Canada’s approach to screening visa applications for people in Gaza with extended family in Canada after one applicant, a medical worker, was asked whether he had treated members of Hamas.
Ottawa driver who appeared to be racing another vehicle on Highway 416 facing charges
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says an Ottawa driver is facing charges after being caught going 187 km/h on Highway 416.