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PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

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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.

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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).

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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.

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CREATE OPPORTUNITIES TO BE ACTIVE EVERYDAY

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 :

  •  Integrate active time into the class’s or daycare’s daily routine;
  •  Promote the importance of being active during recess;
  •  Make sure schoolyards are designed with health in mind, with green spaces, opportunities to practise different types of activities and enough space to accommodate all students at the same time;
  •  Ensure favourable and safe conditions are in place to encourage active travel between home and school;
  •  Offer a variety of extracurricular activities based on the students’ interests and make them accessible to everyone.

 

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PHYSICAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION

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.

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Nearly 7 young Quebecers out of 10
believe that physical education and health education
positively influence their practice of physical activities outside of school.

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FATPHOBIA: A BARRIER TO PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR YOUTH

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.

Check out our recommendations 

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  1. Comité scientifique de Kino-Québec (2011). L’activité physique, le sport et les jeunes – Savoir et agir. Québec : Secrétariat au loisir et au sport, ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport. Gouvernement du Québec. http://www.kinoquebec.qc.ca/publications/ActivitePhysique_LeSportEtLesJeunes_AvisCSKQ.pdf
  2. Institut national de santé publique du Québec. (2022). Habitudes de vie et prévention des maladies chroniques. https://www.inspq.qc.ca/habitudes-de-vie-et-prevention-des-maladies-chroniques
  3. Colley, R. C., & Watt, J. (2022). Les répercussions inégales de la pandémie de COVID-19 sur les habitudes d’activité physique des Canadiens (Rapports sur la santé No 33, n°5). Statistique Canada. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-003-x/2022005/article/00003-fra.htm
  4. Léger. (Juin 2020). Sondage réalisé pour le compte de la Coalition québécoise sur la problématique du poids.
  5. Sigfusdottir, I. D., Kristjansson, A. L. & Allegrante, J. P. (2007). Health Behaviour and Academic Achievement in Icelandic School Children, Health Education Research, 22 (1), 70-80
  6. Hillman, C. H., Erickson, K. I. & Kramer, A. F. (2008). Be smart, exercise your heart: exercise effects on brain and cognition. Nature reviews Neuroscience, 9, 58-65
  7. Trudeau, F. & Shephard, R. J. (2008). Physical education, school physical activity, school sports and academic performance. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 5 (10).
  8. Rasberry, C.N. & al. (2011). The association between school-based physical activity, including physical education, and academic performance: a systematic review of the literature. Preventive Medicine, 52 (1), S10-S20
  9. Harold W. Kohl, I. I. I., Cook, H. D., Environment, C. on P. A. and P. E. in the S., Board, F. and N., & Medicine, I. of. (2013). Physical Activity, Fitness, and Physical Education : Effects on Academic Performance. In Educating the Student Body : Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School. National Academies Press (US). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK201501/
  10. Santé Montréal. (2022). GO! Le secondaire s’active ! Favoriser la pratique d’activités physiques des jeunes : Pistes d’action pour le milieu scolaire—Infographie. Gouvernement du Québec. https://santemontreal.qc.ca/professionnels/drsp/publications/publication-description/publication/go-le-secondaire-sactive-favoriser-la-pratique-dactivites-physiques-des-jeunes-pistes-daction/
  11. Bailey, R. & al. (2009). The educational benefits claimed for physical education and school sport: an academic review. Reasearch papers in education, 24(1), 1-27
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OUR OTHER ACTIONS

HEALTHY EATING

HEALTHY EATING

For schools favourable to healthy eating.

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PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

For schools promoting a physically active lifestyle.

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