Physical activity is defined by the World Health Organization as "any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure". [1] It includes movement that increases heart rate and breathing. [2]
Why is this important?
Being physically active is good for a person's physical and mental health. Physical activity alongside a healthy diet can play a role in preventing and reducing overweight and obesity.[3] Taking part in regular physical activity can prevent chronic disease and disability and decrease the likelihood of premature death.[4] Regular physical activity has also been shown to decrease symptoms of depression and anxiety[5], improve mood and general quality of life[6].
Indicators
Physical Activity |
Measure: Rates of Physical Activity during Leisure TimeLeisure-time physical activity was captured through the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) by asking respondents about their participation in various types of leisure activities in the previous three-month period, as well as the frequency and duration of each activity. The following activities were included: walking for exercise, gardening or yard work, swimming, bicycling, popular or social dance, home exercises, ice hockey, ice skating, in-line skating or rollerblading, jogging or running, golfing, exercise class or aerobics, downhill skiing, bowling, baseball or softball, tennis, weight-training, fishing, volleyball, basketball and up to three other activities.[7] Key FindingsIn Guelph and Ontario from 2015 to 2017, people ages 18 to 34 years old were most likely (72% and 70%, respectively) to report being moderately active or active during leisure time, when compared to people 35 years old and older (range from 41% to 65%). In Wellington County, people ages 35 to 44 years old were most likely (76%) to report being moderately active or active when compared to all other age groups in Guelph, Wellington and Ontario. Across all geographies, people 65 and older were least likely to report being moderately active or active during leisure time. Although results for this age group should be interpreted with caution for Guelph and Wellington, they were consistent with findings for Ontario residents in this age group (41%).
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*Data for residents 65+ years old in Guelph and Wellington should be interpreted with caution due to high variability. *** Wellington County does not include the City of Guelph in this table Source: Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS). Statistics Canada, Annual Content (2015-2017), Ontario Share File distributed by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. Prepared by: Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health. Last updated May 2019. Why are Rates of Physical activity Important?The rate of physical activity is the amount of time a person spends being active. Physical activity can be moderate or vigorous. A person should aim for a mix of moderate to vigorous activity to meet the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines.[2] Rates of physical activity are important to measure because of the physical and mental health benefits of regular physical activity. LimitationsSelf-reported information is influenced by response bias and person's ability to accurately remember their past behavious, experiences, and perceptions. Looking for more information?Please download the excel file below for:
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Sedentary Behaviour |
Measure: Prevalence of Leisure-Time Screen UseScreen time was was captured through the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) by asking respondents about the number of hours they spend in their leisure time (away from school or work) in a typical week watching television (including videos), video game use and computer use.[14] Key FindingsFor 2015 and 2016, residents (12+) of Wellington County (52% and 48%, respectively) were less likely to report 15+ hours of recreational screen time per week when compared to residents of Guelph (56% and 63%, respectively) and Ontario (59% and 61%, respectively). When looking across all three areas, between 48% to 63% of residents reported 15 or more hours of screen time per week.
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Source: Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS). Statistics Canada, Annual Content (2015-2016), Ontario Share File distributed by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. Prepared by: Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health. Last updated May 2019 Why is Sedentary Behaviour Important?Sedentary Behaviour is positions or activities that do not require a person to move a lot. Examples include sitting for a long time, watching television, playing video and computer games, spending a lot of time in front of a computer and using motorized transportation.[2] Sedentary behaviour is more than just not being active.[8,9] Sitting for long periods of time is connected to increased risk of death, including death from cardiovascular disease. Exercise is an important part of staying healthy, as well as simply reducing time spent sitting.[10] Time spent watching tv and on the computer has been found to be positively related to obesity[11]and an increased likelihood of metabolic syndrome[12] (which is a group of conditions that together increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease and stroke).[13] In general, time spent reading is not connected to obesity.[11] LimitationsSelf-reported information is influenced by response bias and person's ability to accurately remember their past behavious, experiences, and perceptions. Looking for more information?Please download the excel file below for:
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Notes
The Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) is a cross-sectional survey that collects information related to health status health care utilization and health determinants for the Canadian population. The CCHS uses probability sampling and is conducted annually by Statistics Canada.
In probability sampling, each person in the sample represents (besides themselves) several other persons in the sample. A sample weight is calculated based on the number of people that that person represents within the population. For example, in a random sample of 1% of the population, each person in the sample would represent 100 persons in the population.[8]
References
[1] World Health Organization (2016). Physical Activity. Available at: http://www.who.int/topics/physical_activity/en/
[2] Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (2012). Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines/Canadian Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines.Available at: http://www.csep.ca/cmfiles/guidelines/csep_guidelines_handbook.pdf
[3] Health Canada (2011). Be Active. Available at: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/maintain-adopt/weights-poids-eng.php
[4] Warbuton, D.E.R., Nicol, C.W. & Bredin, S.S.D. (2006). The Health Benefits of Physical Activity: The Evidence. Canadian Medical Association Journal: 174 (6). Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1402378/pdf/20060314s00023p801.pdf
[5] Martinsen E.W. (2008). Physical activity in the prevention and treatment of anxiety and depression. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry 62 (s47) p.25-29.
[6] Penedo, F.J. & Dahn, J.R. (2005). Exercise and well-being: a review of mental physical health benefits associated with physical activity. Current Opinion in Psychiatry 18, 189-193.
[7] Statistics Canada. Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) Cycle 3.1 (2005) Public Use Micro Data File (PUMF) Integrated Derived Variable (DV) and Grouped Variable Specification. Ottawa, ON: Statistics Canada, 2006
[8] Statistics Canada (2015). Canadian Community Health Survey - Annual Component (CCHS). Available at: http://www23.statcan.gc.ca/imdb/p2SV.pl?Function=getSurvey&SDDS=3226
[8] Gibbs, B.B., Hergenroeder, A.L., Katzmarzyk, P.T., I-Min, L., Jackicic, J.M. (2015). Definition, Measurement, and Health Risks Associated with Sedentary Behviour. Medicine & Science in Sport & Exercise 47(6). P. 1295-1300.
[9] Rhodes, R.E., Mark, R.S., Temmel, C.P. (2012). Adult Sedentary Behviour.A Systematic Review. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 42(3).p. e3-e28.
[10] Katzmarzyk, P.T., Chruch, T.S., Craig, C.L., Bouchard, C. (2009). Sitting Time and Mortality from All Causes, Cardiovascular Disease, and Cancer. Medicine & Science in Sport & Exercise 41(5). P. 998-1005.
[11] Shields, M., Tremblay, M.S. (2015). Sedentary Behaviour and Obesity. Statistics Canada Health Reports. Available at: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-003-x/2008002/article/10599-eng.htm
[12] Ford, E.S., Kohl, H.W., Mokdad, A.H., Ajani, U.A. (2005). Sedentary Behaviour, Physical Activity, and the Metabolic Syndrome among U.S. Adults. Obesity Research 13(3) p. 608-614.
[13] Mayo Clinic (2017). Metabolic Syndrome. Available at: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/metabolic-syndrome/home/ovc-20197517
[14] Association of Public Health Epidemiologists in Ontario. Screen Time. Available at: http://core.apheo.ca/index.php?pid=262
[15] Statistics Canada (2015). Canadian Community Health Survey - Annual Component (CCHS). Available at: http://www23.statcan.gc.ca/imdb/p2SV.pl?Function=getSurvey&SDDS=3226