3.6.6 Percentage of Canadian Children aged 6 to 9 years who participated in dance, gymnastics or martial arts, most days/a few times a week and once a week, by gender, Canada, 2006-2007

Boys Girls
Once a week 17.4 30.7
Most days/a few times a week 12.7 15.8

Source: CICH graphic created using data adapted from the National Longitudinal Survey on Children and Youth, Cycle 7, 2006-2007. Custom Runs.

Forty-seven percent of Canadian girls aged 6 to 9 years participated in dance, gymnastics, martial arts at least once a week – 16% did so most days or a few times a week and 31% did so once a week.

More girls participated in these activities.

Thirty percent of Canadian boys aged 6 to 9 years participated in dance, gymnastics, martial arts at least once a week – 13% did so most days or a few times a week and 17% did so once a week.

Children living in low income families are less likely to participate in gymnastics, dance or martial arts most days/a few times a week than are those living in high income families.

Only 10% of children living in families with incomes below the LICO* participated compared to 20% of children living in families with incomes which were three times the LICO.1

1National Longitudinal Survey on Children and Youth, Cycle 7, 2006-2007. Custom Runs.

*Low Income Cut-offs (LICOs), the threshold is defined as the income below which a family is likely to spend 20 percentage points more of its income on food, shelter and clothing than the average family.