Youth

Youth Physical Activity

What does this measure?

The physical activity of youth aged 12 to 17, based on the total number of minutes of physical activity reported in the last 7 days in the Canadian Community Health Survey. Indicates whether a youth is physically active by practicing an average of 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day (at least 420 minutes over 7 days, regardless of the number of days with activity). Moderate exercise is defined as an activity that causes a person to breathe harder and sweat at least a little.

Why does it matter?

The Centers for Disease Control suggest that regular physical activity in adolescence is important for promoting lifelong health and well-being. Furthermore, it prevents various health conditions.  Regular activity can help adolescents improve cardio-respiratory fitness and build strong bones and muscles. It also helps  reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression and reduce the risk of developing health conditions such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoporosis.  Students who are physically active tend to have better grades, school attendance, improved cognitive performance (e.g., memory), and classroom behaviours (e.g., on-task behaviour).

How are Hastings and Prince Edward Counties doing?

In the 2015-2016 Canadian Community Health Survey cycle, the 59.8% of youth in Hastings and Prince Edward Counties reported being physically active (meeting or exceeding the average 60 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous physical activity). In the 2017-2018 cycle, this estimate decreased to 44.9% although this estimate is to be used with caution due to the small sample size used in the survey.