In the first issue of this newsletter we provided basic information to help you motivate your board in implementing DPA. We’ve received feedback that many are looking for more specific research. The following provides statistical data from studies that highlight the current physical activity levels of Canadian children and youth, the benefits of physical activity and DPA, and the importance of leadership and student activity. Refer to the references below for further research-based evidence.
Current Physical Activity Levels:
- In 2000, a study showed that only 30% of girls and 40% of boys were considered active enough. Within 2 years, this number had decreased to a rate of 12% for girls and 24% for boys.
- Further research from a 2000 study indicated that 57% of Canadian children and youth aged 5 to 17 were not sufficiently active enough to meet international guidelines for optimal growth and development.
- Given that the majority of Canadian children receive one to two instructional physical education classes per week, a typical physical education class lasts between 40 to 45 minutes, and children are moderately to vigorously active or 20% to 35% of that time, most Canadian children are only moderately to vigorously active at school for anywhere between 9 to 32 minutes per week within their physical class.
- Further research from a 2006 study found that children are active for as little as 14 minutes and as much as 100 minutes within a school day. In half the schools examined, the typical student is active for less than half an hour a day.
Benefits of Physical Activity and DPA:
- According to Graham Fishburne, professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta: "For more than 70 years, research has demonstrated that increasing classroom time does not correlate with better test scores. Rather, the more active children are, the better they learn…Children don’t become brighter because they’re physically active but they are less tired, less agitated, less stressed and less sick. Physically active kids are in a better condition for learning."
- Further studies on the impact of physical activity demonstrate the positive effects daily physical activity has on student performance and academic achievement in terms of memory, observation, problem-solving and decision-making, as well as significant improvements in attitudes, discipline, behaviours and creativity.
The Importance of Leadership:
- A 2006 study of 277 public elementary schools in Montreal concluded that the single most important factor in determining whether students will be active at school is leadership and role modeling by the principal. Schools headed by principals who are active themselves, i.e. involved in physical activity at least once a week, are twice as likely to be on the list of schools with the most active students.
- Dr. Sheela Basrur, Ontario’s former Chief Medical Officer of Health, called on "all levels of government, the health sector, the food industries, workplaces, schools, families and individuals to become part of a comprehensive province-wide effort to change all the factors that contribute to unhealthy weight. We must act now to create communities that promote healthy eating and regular physical activity."
Many of the above research statistics are referenced in CAPHERD and CCUPEKA: Presenting the Evidence (2005) by Jamie Mandigo.
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