ParticipAction gives kids and youth a D for activity, F for screen time

TORONTO – A new study tries to quantify what many parents probably already know: The dismal activity levels of children and young people fell even more during the pandemic, while the use of screens soared.

ParticipAction’s latest report card on physical activity gives children and youth a D in overall physical activity, with only about 28 percent getting the recommended 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day. That’s below D+ on the 2020 report card.

At the same time, children succumbed to more screen time, resulting in an F for sedentary behavior, with only 18 percent of children and youth meeting the recommended daily limit of two hours of recreational time vs. the screen. The rating is advertised as “a significant decrease” from the D+ in 2020.

Before that, the ratings had risen steadily from a 2010 F-rating for physical activity and a 2016 F-rating for sedentary behavior.

The 15th edition of the report is based on data collected during the COVID-19 pandemic, when play dates, sports activities and gym classes came to a sudden stop for many children.

For the third year in a row, the overall grade is an F, which takes into account physical activity, screen time, and sleep recommendations.

ParticipAction’s chief scientific officer, Dr. Leigh Vanderloo, largely attributes the relapse to fallout from extensive infection control measures introduced in the spring of 2020.

But he also points to encouraging signs that many families have discovered a newfound enthusiasm for the outdoors during the pandemic, suggesting that if outdoor enthusiasm continues while sports and physical education classes resume, grades could rise again. .

“I think this is going to serve more as a momentary issue,” Vanderloo says of what the data will look like alongside past and future report cards.

“There was this revitalization to spend time outdoors. We saw it with the campground records: park usage, some of them were off the charts, they’ve never seen so much (demand among) people wanting to get outdoors. Partly because there weren’t a lot of options, but still, hopefully, that will continue.”

Greater difficulties may be found in reversing the rise in screen use, says Vanderloo, noting that school closures forced children to use laptops and computers to further their education, while social distancing rules boosted social media. and screen-based entertainment rather than face-to-face. dear friend time.

Add in the lure of TikTok and the new social media stars of the pandemic era, not to mention the likelihood that parents have also increased screen time, and the challenge of weaning young people from their devices becomes becomes especially difficult, says Vanderloo.

Harm-reduction strategies may not work now, he suggests, referring to the tactic as a “finger-pointing approach” that emphasizes the detrimental effects of screen use.

“I don’t think that’s beneficial,” says Vanderloo, believing that people will continue to use screens more than they should.

A more effective strategy might be to recruit the entire family to assess screen use and find alternative activities to replace that sedentary time, she says.

“We know that children are going to do it, we know that families are going to use screens for… entertainment, to keep in touch with loved ones or even to learn things,” he says.

“So how can we make sure that while we use screens we try to do it in the healthiest and most responsible way possible? Is it having arguments? Is it co-seeing with the kids? Are you designating screen-free zones inside the house, like maybe not at dinner time and not in the bedroom?

It’s also important to examine the social determinants of health, including income, education and geography, to understand how they affect a healthy lifestyle, adds Vanderloo.

For the first time, the report card examined levels of well-being among girls, immigrants, indigenous peoples, and LGBTQ and racialized youth, acknowledging that the pandemic exacerbated previously existing health inequities.

It found that increases in time outdoors were more likely for children from higher-income families, while car-free streets were generally found in areas that had fewer visible minority populations, as well as fewer households with children.

The report card is a synthesis of documents and surveys nationwide, but data on marginalized groups is lacking, the study found, emphasizing the need for researchers to fill the gap.

“If we don’t have a baseline, how do we help support and really identify what their needs are?” Vanderloo says.

“If we are planning to change the needle, we need to know. I think I was surprised at how little we knew.”

The report found bright spots: Public adoption of parks, trails, and other outdoor spaces for family entertainment and exercise allowed this year’s rating for family support of physical activity to remain C, while active transport increased to C- and active play improved. to a D-, from F.

Vanderloo says the adult report card is expected in 2023.

This report from The Canadian Press was first published on October 4, 2022.