Thought some of you would be interested to see the report card on Canadian Phyiscal Activity for Children and Youth.

In Active Transportation, Canada got a D - based on lack of children that walk or cycle to school (0%-20%)

A key stat I took from this was that " Canadian children are eight times more likely to die as a passenger in a motor vehicle than from being hit by a vehicle when outside on foot or on a bike." 52-54

Active Transportation Recommendations included:

» School travel planning interventions should be implemented at a larger scale.

» School board transport policies need to recognize and consider ways to support active forms of travel such as walking and cycling, rather than serving as purely a “bussing” policy.

» Policy-makers should pay careful attention to areas with known safety risks in which a greater percentage of children engage in active transportation. Such policies may include lower speed limits, greater provision of sidewalks and bike lanes, traffic calming and crossing guards near schools.

» Novel initiatives to encourage active transportation among children living in suburban and rural areas are needed. While school may be located too far away to enable active transportation for the entire trip, walking may still be promoted for part of the journey.

The ParticipACTION Report Card (formerly the Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card) provides a comprehensive assessment of the current state of physical activity for children and youth in Canada.

For the first time, the Report Card takes a stand on play in nature and the outdoors—with its risks—and includes a Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play.

The main message of the report card is that kids move more and sit less when they play outdoors, and have some freedom to roam and take risks. The following materials are available on ParticipACTION’s website:

Ø A Highlight Report which summarizes the 2015 cover story, indicators and grades.

Ø A Full Report which includes background on our methodology and process, in-depth analyses, summaries of key research, charts and figures and complete references.

Ø Communications tools to support the dissemination of the Report Card findings in presentations, social media, on websites and in newsletters.

Thanks,

Shoni Madden | Active and Safe Routes to School

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