Physical Activity Facts and Figures
Source:http://www.tsa.gov.bc.ca/sport/physical_activity/facts_and_figures.htm

· Child obesity in Canada has tripled; overweightness has doubled from the period 1981 to 1996. The prevalence of overweight increased from 15% to    35.4% for boys; 15% to 29.2% for girls while the prevalence of obesity increased from 5% to 16.6% for boys and 5% to 14.6% for girls.

· The average Canadian child is sedentary for three to five hours a day in front of a television

· Four in ten (40%) Canadian children already have at least one risk factor for heart disease due to an inactive lifestyle

· Type II Diabetes, often referred to as an adult-onset disease, is being diagnosed much earlier than before in teenagers and people in their 20s.

· According to a Stats Canada, children who participate in organized activities outside of school such as sports, music, the arts or clubs tend to have a higher self-esteem, interact better with friends and perform somewhat better in school. Some 16% of youth who had rarely or never participated in sports reported low levels of self-esteem, four times higher than those who had always participated. Of the youth who had never or rarely participated in organized sports between 1994/95 and 1998/99, 23% reported that they smoked, almost three times the proportion of those who always participated (8%). Children aged between four and nine years are likely to be better at reading and math if they take part in sport. Teens who rarely take part in organized sports are much less likely to meet friends and are three times as likely to report having problems with friends they do make.