New survey finds pandemic led to drop in physical activity for kids
Posted Jul 14, 2020 03:50:00 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A national study commissioned by ParticipACTION and led by a Dalhousie University researcher shows the pandemic has had a big impact on the amount of exercise Canadian children are getting every day.
Dr. Sarah Moore said there was a big drop in the number of children between 5 and 17 meeting the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep.
“Around three per cent during the pandemic were meeting the guidelines, 15 per cent of youth were meeting the guidelines before the pandemic,” she told NEWS 95.7's The Sheldon MacLeod Show.
“So, not surprisingly, parents were feeling a lot of stress. We were seeing these negative health consequences on the child and on the family.”
It's recommended children get at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity a day, however, with schools closed and playgrounds, parks and beaches off-limits, COVID-19 drastically changed how children spent their time.
“With screen time, we did see that there were kids that were using about 6 hours of recreational screen time a day,” said Moore.
She said it's important for parents to make sure kids have the time and space to play, encourage them to do so and, if possible, join in at times.
“Families have been incredibly creative during the pandemic,” she said. “There were more leisure activities that came back out, people were playing more board games inside, getting creative with their outdoor spaces, no matter how large or small they were.”
The survey of over 1,500 parents found an increase in arts and crafts, puzzles and games, along with bike riding, walks and hikes.
Moore said play is an important way children offset stress, so the more time they spend outside this summer, the better.
Sleep appears to be the least affected by the pandemic. Children may be staying up later, but with no school to head off to in the morning, they've been able to sleep in.
“About 71 per cent of kids were meeting the sleep guidelines during the pandemic,” said Moore.
