Physical activity is essential to help young people reach their full potential, both in terms of physical and mental health and at the social and cognitive levels1. Conversely, a sedentary lifestyle is a risk factor for several chronic diseases and obesity2.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on young people’s level of physical activity3.
In 2020, more than half of Quebec teenagers reported having reduced their level of physical activity4.
Physical activity is an essential ally for the school system.
Studies show it has positive impact on academic performance by promoting attention span, memory and calmer behaviour in class1,5-9. Physical activity also increases the feeling of belonging that students have towards their school1.
However, all of these benefits depend on the quality of the periods of physical activity (frequency, duration, nature, context and intensity).
Thus, promoting active time at school is a fundamental approach to reaching all young people, without discrimination, and allowing them to acquire the skills they need to keep a healthy and active lifestyle.
Schools must provide as many opportunities as possible for students to do physical activities that they enjoy. There are countless ways to integrate physical activity in their school culture10 :
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Physical education and health education help students develop their motor skills and discover new activities. They also foster a feeling of belonging, in addition to being a key moment of active time. In addition, they promote the maintenance of a physically active lifestyle into adulthood11.
It is therefore important to value the time devoted to physical and health education as a means to promote health and well-being of young people and as a key factor to their academic success.
For this reason, guidelines on the time devoted to physical and health education should be modified to include mandatory minimum times of 60 minutes per week during preschool, 120 minutes per week for elementary school and 300 minutes per 9-day cycle for secondary school. Setting mandatory times would help reduce disparities between environments and harmonize practices.
Nearly 7 young Quebecers out of 10believe that physical education and health education positively influence their practice of physical activities outside of school.
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Negative experiences associated with weight stigma in the context of physical activity during childhood and adolescence can have persistent effects into adulthood and lead to people avoiding and abandoning physical activity altogether.
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For schools favourable to healthy eating.
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For schools promoting a physically active lifestyle.