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Physical Activity - Information for Healthcare Providers

As a healthcare provider, you know the importance of physical activity; leading an active, healthy lifestyle and minimizing sedentary time. The more a person is physically active, the greater the benefits.

 

In Canada

  • Only 18% of adults achieve the recommended 150 minutes of physical activity per week1
  • Only 9% of 5-17 year olds get the recommended 60 minutes of heart pumping activity they need each day2

The Guidelines

The Guidelines identify the minimum daily physical activity requirements to achieve health benefits according to different age groups.

The Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years (0-4 years) and Children and Youth (5-17 years) recognizes that the whole day matters.  There is a balance to achieve between physical activity, sedentary behaviour and a good night's sleep every day that supports healthy growth and development.

There is a difference between Physical Inactivity & Sedentary Behaviour:

Physical Inactivity Not meeting the minimum recommendations of the guidelines for physical activity.
Sedentary Behaviour Any low intensity activity that you do while you are awake such as sitting or lying down. To reduce the risk of being sedentary, you need to move more and sit less.

The benefits of physical activity are reduced through sedentary behaviour. Encourage your patients to move more and sit less!

 

Key Documents, Best Practice Guidelines, References

 
Date of creation: September 28, 2016
Last modified on: July 26, 2019

Tools

  • Pre-screening for Physical Activity Participation forms
    Includes the Par Med-X for Pregnancy Form - a guideline for health screening prior to participation in a prenatal fitness class or other exercise
  • Active Kids, Healthy Kids
    Canadian Paediatric Society resources and evidence to help you incorporate messages about healthy active living         messages into your practice.
 

Programs and Services

 
 

References

1Statistics Canada (2017). Canadian Health Measures Survey: Activity monitor data. Retrieved from
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/170419/dq170419e-eng.pdf
2ParticipACTION. (2016). Are Canadian kids too tired to move? The 2016 ParticipACTION Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth. Retrieved from
https://www.participaction.com/en-ca/resources/report-card