Historicist: Life in Wartime
Vandalist: Ripple Effect
Toronto Will Host 2015 Pan American Games
Weekend Planner: November 7–8, 2009
For the last three years, Active Healthy Kids Canada has graded the physical activity levels of Canada’s young people. For the third straight year, Canada has received a dismal D grade.
The group states that each time they measure physical activity levels among children and youth more accurately, they find that the issue of child and youth physical inactivity in Canada is an even larger public health concern than previously believed.
They’ve found that inactivity significantly worsens as children grow older, and teenagers, especially teen girls, are less active now than they ever have been. Children and youth report spending twice as much time in front of a screen as they do engaged in physical activity. These factors not only contribute to increases in overweight and obesity, but are now also associated with increasing reports of anxiety, depression and low self-esteem.
The group recommends: engage and empower youth to get active, and target after-school hours for increasing physical activity opportunities. In possibly related news, six of Toronto’s school/community pools are still slated for closure on September 1st.
Photo of Michael C. Harris, circa 1977, by David Harris.
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One thing that we need is a re-vamp of this province's physical education program. There should definitely be at least one mandatory hour a day of physical activities in public schools, and we need to remove the stigma of gym classes.
Gym should be less about competition and more about activity, team-building, and fun. It should be something for kids to look forward to and also instill in them a desire to be active outside of the classroom (in the summer, after graduation, etc).
Unfortunately, a lack of public places to get activity (such as the shutdown of these public schools) is doing nothing to help. The Globe's focus section had an excellent article a few weeks ago about public exercise parks in Germany, designed to allow folks to use fizuturistic gym-ish equipment in a safe, public setting and foster physical activity. Our city - and our kids - could use something like that.
...and don't even get me started on what our car-happy suburban culture is doing to physical activity. Ugh!
You know I bet closing the pools will help kids stay physically active! We should totally do that. What? We are? Awesome.
Where are the parents in all this?
I'm a recent OISE (teacher's college at U of T)grad, and I gotta tell you, the health & phys ed program there is totally confused. OISE in general is confused about whether it is a hands-on college program or a squishy social work university program. my two best friends from my program were in the phys ed stream, and they are totally sensitive, care-about-the-world, equitably-minded guys -- one is now working on an organic farm for the summer and the other is running outdoor ed programming for at-risk youth. They told me that even though the equity lip service from OISE filtered into gym class, it was still very much the same jocky, bullshit-laden world of gym teachers that anyone our age (i'm 28) and earlier at least grew up in (hey, that's all we can speak for). As somone who hadn't worked out since grade nine gym until the last few years for the exact reason that i hated being picked last and feeling like shit next to the jocky bullshit people who took gym (and especially taught gym) at my school, i can totally testify that there needs to be huge changes. What if fun things like pillowfighting or manhunt were brought in for nerds like me? but i'm also sayin' that we shouldn't expect a major overhaul to happen overnight if even a progressive, equity-minded school like OISE is still cranking out the same lunkheads who taught me all my life.
Thanks for your great comments -- much food for thought here.
Maybe gym classes should be designed to offer choice. Some kids love competitive sports and others withdraw. A games class is a great idea! I think the trick to exercise is finding activities that you love--that make you feel good. Swimming is a no-brainer because almost every kid loves to swim, and in elementary school, it means they get to play a lot of games while they're learning life skills.
The best gym class I ever took featured sports you could do by yourself: swimming, biking, and running. You were graded by your level of improvement, and it wasn't about competition. The teacher was sort of jocky, but somehow she softened during that class (it was new), and seemed to understand her less athletic students a bit more deeply. Bodies want to move! I know if I don't get out and bike or run, I feel awful.
Good question, rek! The parents are bustin ass on this issue, and have seriously organized. They managed to get hundreds of people to turn out for a community meeting, and then a demonstration -- it received national media attention. I have no idea how they do it. They set up a website which is full of info.
Sharon - maybe there could be an expansion of phys. ed. departments at schools so that there's more than just a standard "gym class?" Have a games class, competitive sports class, cardio, etc - that way kids could choose the kind of physical activity that they enjoy. A something-for-everyone sort of gym department. It'd probably take a substantial investment, but I think the results would be worth it.
That'd be blissful, Matt. I think the funding for education has been cut so much that many things are sliding. I should just go to my son's school with a camera and show everyone the conditions. The sports field has no grass. Like none. His summer soccer league actually re-located because the coaches didn't think it was safe. The acoustic tiles in the gym have been removed, so it's crazy loud for the hundreds of kids who lunch there (under supervised, of course) every day. I should measure the noise levels -- I wouldn't be surprised if they're dangerous. His school is considered to be a good one -- even though it's over capacity -- but I could go on.
I think the pool issue was the proverbial straw that broke ... and that if nothing improves, we're going to start seeing parents protesting at Queen's Park this fall.
Sharon - I meant where are the parents in this broader tubbiness trend. I know a lot of people got together re: the pools. Children's health is, one would assume, the responsibility of their parent(s) and not the public education system first and foremost.
Re: your exposé of TO schools: do it.
Learning to be physically healthy is as important as say, learning math. A lot of adults don't know how to be healthy (just like many adults can't do math), and the problem is getting worse. If adults don't know, how will they teach their kids? Check out the scary obesity rates from 2004, compared to those from 1978.
Elementary kids are in school from 9 a.m. til 3:40 p.m. Some kids are in before and after care programs. If they aren't getting exercise in that seven hour + stretch, their growing bodies aren't going to be developing as they should.
Here's a snip from the Ministry of Education's website:
"Research shows that students who engage in daily physical activity demonstrate improved academic performance," said [former Minister] Kennedy. "Our schools need to be in the business of helping students reach their full intellectual,emotional and physical potential."
A study quoted in the Canadian Journal of Public Health says academic performance is maintained or even enhanced by an increase in a student's level of physical activity. A Saskatchewan study showed that regular participation in physical education and physical activity improves self-esteem, which is related to better academic achievement.
Parents don't raise kids in vacuums. I know it sounds quaint, but community really means something when you have kids. Communities are built around schools, and if health is important to the school, it will be important to the families in the community.