Kids get D- minus for physical activity

Many kids aren’t getting the outdoor exercise they need because their overprotective parents are constantly watching over them, according to an annual report card that gave Canadian children a D- for being too sedentary.

“We have lost the balance between short- term safety and long- term health. In outdoor play, risk doesn’t mean courting danger, but rather giving kids the freedom to assess their surroundings and make decisions, allowing them to build confidence, develop skills, solve problems and learn limits,” said Dr. Mark Tremblay, chief scientific officer of the non- profit ParticipAction, which releases the annual Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth.

Canada has received an “alarmingly low” D- for three consecutive years because most kids aren’t getting enough exercise, the report says.

Just 9% of children aged fi ve to 17 meet the Canadian guideline of an hour of physical activity per day, the report says.

It puts much of the blame on the “protection paradox,” which restricts kids from being more active by keeping them inside.

A study found Grade 5 and 6 students who were almost always allowed to go outside unsupervised were 20% more active than kids who were constantly supervised.

“In order to help ensure Canadian children get enough heartpumping activity, we need to recognize that they are competent and capable to go out and explore on their own or with friends,” ParticipAction president and CEO Elio Antunes said.

“Children move more, sit less and play longer in self- directed outdoor play, so the biggest risk is keeping our kids supervised indoors.”

The report recommends parents and teachers help increase children’s opportunity to get active by adding in bouts of it whenever possible. It also wants the government to make access to programs for less fortunate families simple and more dignifi ed by ditching the requirement to provide proof of income.