A 2008 Saskatoon School Health Survey of 4,197 youth found that only seven per cent of the children aged 10 years to 15 years met Health Canada’s guideline of moderate or higher intensity physical activity for at least one hour a day.

Nationally, the Active Healthy Kids Report Card from ParticipACTION found that only 15 per cent of boys and five per cent of girls aged 11 to 14 met the guidelines.

The World Health Organization reports that inactivity causes 16 per cent of all diabetes and 22 per cent of all heart disease and is a leading cause of breast cancer, colon cancer, lower back pain, osteoporosis, depression and anxiety. As levels of physical activity decrease, not only will disease prevalence increase, but disease incidence will start to occur at much earlier ages.

Using advanced statistics, the Saskatoon survey shows the five most important variables that predict daily physical activity (other than school curriculum) as: employment status of the father; whether parents watch their children participate in physical activity; if children receive encouragement from their friends to participate; if youth are not teased for lack of physical ability; and if youth have access to a coach or instructor other than in gym class, preferably at no cost.

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