3.3.6 Percentage of children and youth aged 5 to 17 years who engage in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, by age group and amount of activity, Canada, 2012 and 2013
| 5 to 11 years | 12 to 17 years* | |
|---|---|---|
| At least 60 minutes | 14 | 5 |
| At least 45 minutes | 23 | 9 |
| At least 30 minutes | 39 | 18 |
Note:
*Interpret with caution
Source: CICH graphic created using date from the 2012 and 2013 Canadian Health Measures Survey.
The Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines recommends that children and youth aged 5-17 engage in 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigourous physical activity daily.1
In 2012/2013, only 14% of 5 to 11 year olds and 5% of 12 to 17 year olds reported engaging in at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day.
When time was reduced to at least 45 minutes of physical activity daily, the percentage increased for 5 to 11 year olds to 23% and for 12 to 17 years to 9%.
The percentage of 5 to 17 year olds participating in physical activity at least 30 minutes daily was was even higher. For 5 to 11 year olds, 39% reported participating in physical activity at least 30 minutes daily and 18% of 12 to 17 year olds reported participating in physical activity at least 30 minutes every day.
The number of minutes 5 to 11 years olds participate in physical activity daily is higher than for 12 to 17 year olds, although both age groups have low participation rates and very few meet the recommended guideline of 60 minutes of physical activity daily.
1Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology. 2012. Accessed March 20, 2018 at: http://www.csep.ca/CMFiles/Guidelines/bcfiles/BC_CSEP_PAGuidelines_child_en.pdf and http://www.csep.ca/CMFiles/Guidelines/bcfiles/BC_CSEP_PAGuidelines_youth_en.pdf