Saskatchewan

Physical activity profile

• As many as 69% of Saskatchewan residents are insufficiently active for optimal health benefits.
  
  
• Physical inactivity declined significantly since the early 1980s, going from 79% in 1981 to 69% in 2000.
  
  
• The most popular physical activities for adults over 18 are:

Walking for exercise	82%
Gardening, yard work	77
Home exercise	53
Swimming	48
Social dancing	45
Bicycling	39
Golf	32
Baseball, softball	27
Bowling	27
Weight training	27
Jogging, running	26
Skating	25
Exercise class, aerobics	14
Volleyball	13
Alpine skiing	12
Badminton	12
Ice hockey	12
In-line skating	11
Soccer	11
Basketball	10




What about children?

• Parents in Saskatchewan report that over half (51%) 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 Saskatchewan parents, 84% of children aged 5-17 do some physical activity at home, 73% participate in physical education classes at school, 49% participate in other physical activities at school outside of physical education, and 67% participate in physical activities elsewhere.
  
  
• The most popular physical activities for children aged 5 to 17 are:
  
  

  Swings, slides, teeter-totters*	89%
  Bicycling	87
  Walking	85
  Swimming	79
  Tobogganing, other winter activities	73
  Skating	60
  In-line skating	56
  Running, jogging	50
  Soccer	42
  Baseball	39

  *This includes only 5-12 year-olds.


Knowledge of physical activity guidelines

• Awareness of guidelines—The 2000 Physical Activity Monitor examined (1) adults' awareness of physical activity guidelines for adults and (2) their understanding of the messaging contained in these guidelines. 40% of Saskatchewan adults 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, Saskatchewan residents 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 49% 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 Saskatchewan, 58% 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 136 days during the past year and spent, on average, 109 minutes walking on those days.
  
  In addition, 22% of adults report having bicycled during the past year to commute. On average, they bicycled to commute 51 days out of the past year.
  
  
• Commuting for children: Active choices—According to Saskatchewan parents, 28% of children aged 5-17 use entirely active modes to travel to and from school each day.
  
  
• Commuting for children: Inactive choices—48% of children aged 5-17 rely solely on inactive modes of transportation to travel to and from school.
  
  
• Commuting for children: Mixed choices—24% 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—31% of Saskatchewan children aged 5-17 reportedly receive physical education classes at school 1-2 days each week. A further 38% participate 3-4 days a week, and 23% receive daily physical education. Over half (62%) of Saskatchewan parents believe that their children get enough physical activity through physical education provided at school.
  
  
• Other physical activity programming at school—72% of Saskatchewan parents report that their children’s school offers physical activity programs outside of physical education classes. A total of 44% believe that these types of programs meet their children’s needs quite well or very well. However, 39% state that their children’s needs are met only somewhat well or not at all.
  
  
• Use of local physical activity facilities by schools—85% of Saskatchewan 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—Saskatchewan parents report that 64% of children usually do homework for part of the time between the end of classes and dinner, and 79% 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, 63% of Saskatchewan children spend some time doing chores between the time they finish school and supper.
  
  
• Playing outdoors after school—81% of Saskatchewan children reportedly play outdoors between the time they finish school and the time they eat dinner.
  
  
• Participating in organized activities after school—35% of Saskatchewan 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 Saskatchewan parents, 76% 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 (91%) of Saskatchewan parents report that public facilities and programs are available locally for their children to do physical activities. About 63% of Saskatchewan parents believe that these public facilities and programs meet their children’s physical activity needs well or very well, while 26% report that they meet their needs somewhat well. In addition, 35% of Saskatchewan parents report that their children use these types of facilities and programs often or very often, 34% use them somewhat often, and 31% use them rarely or not at all.
  
  
• Private facilities and programs—56% of Saskatchewan parents indicate that local private facilities and programs are available for their children’s physical activity. Furthermore, 43% believe that the local private facilities and programs meet their children’s physical activity needs well or very well, and 33% report that these facilities do not meet their children’s needs very well or at all. Half of Saskatchewan children (48%) reportedly do not use private facilities and programs very often or at all.
  
  
• Local parks and outdoor spaces—Local parks and outdoor spaces in which children can do physical activity are available to most Saskatchewan residents (90%). Among Saskatchewan parents, 66% indicate that these types of facilities meet their children’s needs either well or very well, a further 23% report that they meet their needs somewhat. In addition, 45% of Saskatchewan children reportedly use parks and outdoor spaces often or very often, 33% use them somewhat often, and 22% do not use them very often or at all.
  
  
• Other local places for physical activity—79% of Saskatchewan parents report that there are other places, like school yards used after hours, available locally for their children to do physical activity. Moreover, 55% of all Saskatchewan parents reporting availability believe that these facilities meet their children’s needs well or very well, a further 24% report that they meet these needs somewhat well, and 21% report that they do not meet these needs very well or at all. Finally, 30% of Saskatchewan children reportedly use these types of facilities often or very often, 31% use them somewhat often, and 38% do not use them very often or at all.
  
  
• Safety concerns about children’s physical activity—A total of 23% of Saskatchewan parents worry somewhat about their children’s safety when they are playing outdoors in the local neighbourhood, 23% worry a little, and 21% report that they do not worry at all.
  
  Parents in Saskatchewan are less likely than Canadian parents overall to report that they worry a great deal about their children’s safety when they are playing outdoors.
  

Parental involvement in children's physical activity

• Playing active games or sports with children—In Saskatchewan, 40% of parents report playing active games or sports with their children either often or very often. A further 37% do this sometimes, and 23% do this rarely or not at all.
  
  
• Transporting children to physical activities—The majority of Saskatchewan parents (55%) take their children often or very often to and from places where they can be physically active. Moreover, 28% do this sometimes.
  
  
• Volunteering with physical activities—35% of Saskatchewan parents report that they have supervised recess or helped out at a physical activity event at school during the past year. Also, 49% 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 69% of Saskatchewan 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.


Children's physical activity preferences

• Active or sedentary activities?—In Saskatchewan, 25% of parents report that their children prefer to spend most of their time being physically active, whereas fewer (18% in the West) state that their children prefer mostly quiet activities, such as watching television, reading, or playing computer games. In addition, 57% of Saskatchewan parents report that their children like to do both physically active and sedentary activities equally.
  
  
• Organized or unorganized physical activities?—Whereas 33% of Saskatchewan parents report that when their children are active, they prefer participating in unorganized physical activities, such as riding a bike, skateboarding, or walking, fewer (13% in the West) state that their children prefer to engage in organized activities, such as soccer, dance classes, or competitive basketball. The remaining 53% of Saskatchewan parents say that their children like organized and unorganized physical activities equally.
  
  
• Vigorous- or moderate-intensity activities?—In the West, 26% of parents report that their children prefer vigorous physical activities, which involve considerable "running around," over moderate activities, which are less strenuous. In Saskatchewan, 29% of parents report a preference on the part of their children for moderate over vigorous activities. In addition, 46% of 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 Saskatchewan partner is Saskatchewan Municipal Affairs, Culture and Housing, Community Support Services Branch.