| The proportion of Canadians aged
25 to 55 who are not physically active enough to meet the guidelines
for sufficient physical activity set out in Canada's
Physical Activity Guide to Healthy Active Living ranges
from 59% to 73%, depending on the province or territory of residence.
This indicates that in every part of the country, there is cause
for alarm and action to address the problem of a sedentary lifestyle.
Canadians not meeting Guide
| Newfoundland |
70% |
|
Prince Edward Island |
68%* |
| Nova Scotia |
72% |
|
New Brunswick |
66% |
| Quebec |
67% |
|
Ontario |
67% |
| Manitoba |
69% |
|
Saskatchewan |
73% |
| Alberta |
67% |
|
British Columbia |
59% |
| Northwest Territories |
68% |
|
Yukon |
68%* |
* = regional estimate
These provincial statistics were obtained by pooling the 1995
and 1997 samples of the Physical Activity Monitor, conducted
by the Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute with
support from Health Canada and the provincial/territorial governments.
This pooling of data, made possible because physical inactivity
in Canada had not changed between 1995 and 1997, boosted the
sample size enough to tease out estimates for provinces and
territories.
However, even with two years worth of data, the margin of error
for provincial estimates exceeds six percentage points (each
estimate could be anywhere between plus or minus six percentage
points of its current value). This means that we have to be
careful about comparing provincial estimates. All we can say
is that the numbers range from 59% to 73%, and that British
Columbia, at 59%, has fewer inactive people than Saskatchewan,
at 73%.
The key message from these statistics is that the majority
of adults in each province and territory are inactive, and that
physical inactivity is therefore a major issue in every part
of the country. The recent commitment of Health Canada and all
provinces and territories to reduce sedentary living in Canada
is timely. The World Health Organization says that if sedentary
living is unchecked, "dramatic increases in life expectancy
combined with dramatic changes in lifestyle [will] lead to global
epidemics of cancer and other chronic diseases." Stay tuned
for how Canada fares as the Institute monitors each province's
and territory's progress toward the goal of reducing physical
inactivity by 10% by the year 2003.
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