3.3.9 Percentage of Canadian students in Grades 6 though 10 who reported that they had been physically active seven days a week over a typical week for a total of 60 minutes per day, by grade and gender, Canada, 2014
Source: CICH graphic created using data adapted from Health Behaviour in School-aged Children in Canada: Focus on Relationships. 2015.
The proportion of Canadian students in Grades 6 through 10 who were physically active seven days a week over a typical week for a total of 60 minutes per day was greatest in the younger grades.
Boys were more likely to be active in this way than were girls at every grade.
In Grade 10, only 22% of boys reported that they had been physically active seven days a week over a typical week for a total of 60 minutes per day. Less than half that percentage of girls did so – 10%.
In Grade 6, 31% of boys and 22% of girls reported that they had been physically active seven days a week over a typical week for a total of 60 minutes per day.
Implications
The majority of Canadian young people in Grades 6 through 10 need to increase the amount of physical activity they do. This can help them reduce the chances of getting a wide range of acute and chronic health problems. Sedentary lifestyles among youth are also associated with behaviours such as violence and substance use.1
1Health Behaviour in School Age Children in Canada: Focus on Relationships. 2016.