Newfoundland

Physical activity profile

• As many as 65% of Newfoundlanders are insufficiently active for optimal health benefits.
  
  
• Physical inactivity declined significantly since the early 1980s, going from 86% in 1981 to 65% in 2000.
  
  
• The most popular physical activities for adults over 18 are:
  
  

  Walking for exercise	81%
  Gardening, yard work	73
  Home exercise	58
  Social dancing	54
  Swimming	41
  Bicycling	31
  Skating	31
  Baseball, softball	26
  Jogging, running	24
  Weight training	22
  Bowling	20
  Basketball	19
  Golf	18
  Exercise class, aerobics	17
  Soccer	13
  Alpine skiing	12
  Badminton	12
  Ice hockey	12

What about children?

• Parents in Newfoundland report that over half (61%) of children and youth aged 5-17 are not active enough for optimal growth and development. For the purposes of this analysis, the term "active enough" is equivalent to an energy expenditure of at least eight kilocalories per kilogram of body weight per day (KKD). For example, a half hour of martial arts plus walking for a total of at least one hour throughout the day would be sufficient activity for a child.
  
  
• According to Newfoundland parents, 74% of children aged 5-17 do some physical activity at home, 72% participate in physical education classes at school, 39% participate in other physical activities at school outside of physical education, and 54% participate in physical activities elsewhere.
  
  
• The most popular physical activities for children aged 5 to 17 are:
  
  

  Walking	93%
  Swings, slides, teeter-totters*	92
  Bicycling	86
  Swimming	83
  Tobogganing, other winter activities	76
  Skating	69
  In-line skating	55
  Running, jogging	55
  Social dancing	49
  Basketball	45

  *This includes only 5-12 year-olds.

Knowledge of physical activity guidelines

• Awareness of guidelines—The 2000 Physical Activity Monitor examined (1) Newfoundlanders' awareness of physical activity guidelines for adults and (2) their understanding of the messaging contained in these guidelines. 35% of Newfoundlanders are aware of some guidelines for physical activity.
  
  
• Understanding of Guide messages—When asked whether activity could be accumulated to meet the guidelines, a key message in Canada's Physical Activity Guide, Newfoundlanders display a mixed understanding about the requirement. Specifically, 48% report that people need to do at least 30 minutes of physical activity all at one time, and 52% report, as per the Guide, that they need to accumulate 30 minutes of physical activity throughout the day.
  

Choices in commuting

• Active commuting among adults—In Newfoundland, 45% of adults report having walked during the past year to work, school, for errands, or as a means of getting around. Those who report walking to commute did so for 111 days during the past year and spent, on average, 135 minutes walking on those days.
  
  Adults in Newfoundland report fewer days walking than Canadians overall.
  
  
• Commuting for children: Active choices—According to parents in the East, 20% of children aged 5-17 use entirely active modes to travel to and from school each day.
  
  
• Commuting for children: Inactive choices—57% of Newfoundland children aged 5-17 rely solely on inactive modes of transportation to travel to and from school.
  
  Parents in Newfoundland are more likely than Canadian parents overall to report that their children use completely inactive means to commute to and from school each day.
  
  
• Commuting for children: Mixed choices—In the East, 21% of children aged 5-17 use a mixed mode, or combination of active and inactive modes of transportation, to travel to and from school. Typically, this involves walking for part of the way and being driven, or taking a bus or other public transport, for the rest of the trip.

Physical activity programming in the school environment

• Physical education opportunities at school—51% of Newfoundland children aged 5-17 reportedly receive physical education classes at school 1-2 days each week. A further 27% participate 3-4 days a week, and 13% of children in the Atlantic region receive daily physical education. Very few (15%) Atlantic children in this age group receive no physical education at all. Over half (63%) of Newfoundland parents believe that their children get enough physical activity through physical education provided at school.
  
  
• Other physical activity programming at school—69% of Newfoundland parents report that their children’s school offers physical activity programs outside of physical education classes. However, 55% of Newfoundland parents state that their children’s needs are met only somewhat well or not at all.
  
  Parents in Newfoundland are more likely than Canadian parents overall to report that the physical activity opportunities offered at school outside of physical education suit the needs of their children only somewhat well or not at all.
  
  
• Use of local physical activity facilities by schools—70% of Newfoundland parents indicate that their children’s school makes use of local community facilities for school physical activity programming. This can include trips to local ski hills, community swimming pools, arenas, and so on.
  

Children's use of time after school

• Doing sedentary activities after school—Newfoundland parents report that 76% of children usually do homework for part of the time between the end of classes and dinner, and 71% also reportedly engage in other sedentary activities, such as reading, watching television, or playing computer or video games. Accurate measures of overall time spent in sedentary activities during this time were not able to be derived because children may sometimes do two or more sedentary activities at once (such as doing homework and watching television at the same time).
  
  
• Doing chores after school—Overall, 57% of Newfoundland children spend some time doing chores between the time they finish school and supper.
  
  
• Playing outdoors after school—83% of Newfoundland children reportedly play outdoors between the time they finish school and the time they eat dinner.
  
  
• Participating in organized activities after school—28% of Newfoundland children reportedly spend time in organized activities, such as soccer practice or swim classes, between the time they finish school and the time they eat dinner.
  
  
• Participating in unorganized activities after school—According to Newfoundland parents, 69% of children spend time in unorganized physical activities, such as bicycling or walking, between the time they finish school and the time they have dinner.

Local opportunities to be active

• Public facilities and programs—The majority (81%) of Newfoundland parents report that public facilities and programs are available locally for their children to do physical activities. About 43% of Newfoundland parents believe that these public facilities and programs meet their children’s physical activity needs well or very well, while 34% report that they meet their needs somewhat well. In addition, 22% of Newfoundland parents report that their children use these types of facilities and programs often or very often, 43% use them somewhat often, and 35% use them rarely or not at all.
  
  Parents in Newfoundland are less likely than Canadian parents overall to report that public facilities and programs meet their children’s physical activity needs well or very well.
  
  
• Private facilities and programs—39% of Newfoundland parents indicate that local private facilities and programs are available for their children’s physical activity. Furthermore, 44% of parents in the Atlantic region believe that the local private facilities and programs meet their children’s physical activity needs well or very well, 18% believe that these needs are met somewhat well, and the remaining 38% report that these facilities do not meet their children’s needs very well or at all. The majority of Newfoundland children (69%) reportedly do not use private facilities and programs very often or at all.
  
  Parents in Newfoundland are less likely than Canadian parents overall to report the availability of private facilities and programs for their children’s physical activity.
  
  
• Local parks and outdoor spaces—Local parks and outdoor spaces in which children can do physical activity are available to most Newfoundlanders (82%). Among Newfoundland parents, 57% indicate that these types of facilities meet their children’s needs either well or very well, and a further 26% report that they meet their needs somewhat. In addition, 30% of Newfoundland children reportedly use parks and outdoor spaces often or very often, 41% use them somewhat often, and 29% do not use them very often or at all.
  
  
• Other local places for physical activity—49% of Newfoundland parents report that there are other places, like school yards used after hours, available locally for their children to do physical activity. In the Atlantic region, 34% of parents reporting availability believe that these facilities meet their children’s needs well or very well, a further 32% report that they meet these needs somewhat well, and 33% report that they do not meet these needs very well or at all. Finally, 20% of children in Atlantic Canada reportedly use these types of facilities often or very often, 26% use them somewhat often, and 42% of Newfoundland children do not use them very often or at all.
  
  Parents in Newfoundland are less likely than Canadian parents overall to indicate the availability of other local places for their children’s physical activity. They are also less likely than parents in the western provinces and northern regions to consider that these facilities address their children’s needs well or very well.
  
  
• Safety concerns about children’s physical activity—A total of 35% of Newfoundland parents report that they worry a great deal when their children are playing outside, 16% worry a little, and 22% report that they do not worry at all.
  

Parental involvement in children's physical activity

• Playing active games or sports with children—In Newfoundland, 45% of parents report playing active games or sports with their children either often or very often. A further 34% do this sometimes, and 21% do this rarely or not at all.
  
  
• Transporting children to physical activities—The majority of Newfoundland parents (55%) take their children often or very often to and from places where they can be physically active. Moreover, 24% do this sometimes and 21% do this rarely or not at all.
  
  
• Volunteering with physical activities—30% of Newfoundland parents report that they have supervised recess or helped out at a physical activity event at school during the past year. Also, 36% of parents indicate that they have volunteered to help with their children’s physical activities outside of school, including volunteering for a sport or recreation group, serving on a committee, helping at a special event or outing, or the like.
  
  
• Financial support of children’s physical activity—As many as 54% of Newfoundland parents report that during the previous 12 months they have contributed financially to their children’s physical activities, including buying equipment, paying a membership or fee, or paying for coaching or instruction for their children’s physical activity.
  
  Parents in Newfoundland are less likely than Canadian parents overall to report financial contributions toward their children’s physical activities.
  

Children's physical activity preferences

• Active or sedentary activities?—In Newfoundland, 27% of parents report that their children prefer to spend most of their time being physically active, whereas fewer (16% in the East) state that their children prefer mostly quiet activities, such as watching television, reading, or playing computer games. In addition, 57% of Newfoundland parents report that their children like to do both physically active and sedentary activities equally.
  
  
• Organized or unorganized physical activities?—Whereas 35% of Newfoundland parents report that when their children are active, they prefer participating in unorganized physical activities, such as riding a bike, skateboarding, or walking, fewer (14% in the East) state that their children prefer to engage in organized activities, such as soccer, dance classes, or competitive basketball. The remaining 52% of Newfoundland parents say that their children like organized and unorganized physical activities equally.
  
  
• Vigorous- or moderate-intensity activities?—27% of parents in the East report that their children prefer vigorous physical activities, which involve considerable "running around," over moderate activities, which are less strenuous. An equal proportion (28%) of Newfoundland parents report a preference on the part of their children for moderate over vigorous activities. In addition, 48% of Newfoundland parents indicate that their children favour vigorous- and moderate-intensity activities equally.

The Institute gratefully acknowledges the financial support of Health Canada and the Interprovincial Sport and Recreation Council toward the Benchmarks Program. Our Newfoundland partner is the Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation (Recreation and Sport Division).