Yukon

• As many as 58% of Yukon residents are insufficiently active for optimal health benefits.
  
  
• The most popular physical activities for adults over 18 are:
  
  

  Walking for exercise	88%
  Gardening, yard work	85
  Bicycling	59
  Home exercise	56
  Swimming	48
  Social dancing	39
  Weight training	29
  Jogging, running	27
  Cross-country skiing	27
  Skating	25
  Golf	24
  Bowling	21
  Baseball, softball	19
  Alpine skiing	16
  Exercise class, aerobics	13
  Ice hockey	13
  Basketball	12
  Soccer	12

What about children?

• Parents in the Yukon 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 Yukon parents, 84% of children aged 5-17 do some physical activity at home, 74% participate in physical education classes at school, 49% participate in other physical activities at school outside of physical education, and 66% participate in physical activities elsewhere.
  
  
• The most popular physical activities for children aged 5 to 17 are:
  
  

  Walking	91%
  Bicycling	89
  Swings, slides, teeter-totters*	89
  Swimming	81
  Tobogganing, other winter activities	81
  Skating	59
  Running, jogging	47
  Soccer	47
  Social dancing	43
  Basketball	36

  *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. In the Yukon, 50% of adults are aware of some guidelines for physical activity.
  
  Adults in the Yukon are more likely than Canadians overall to be aware of 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, Yukoners display a mixed understanding about the requirement. Specifically, 59% report that people need to do at least 30 minutes of physical activity all at one time, and 39% 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 the Yukon, 57% 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 126 days during the past year and spent, on average, 102 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 46 days out of the past year.
  
  
• Commuting for children: Active choices—According to Yukon parents, 33% of children aged 5-17 use entirely active modes to travel to and from school each day.
  
  
• Commuting for children: Inactive choices—43% of children aged 5-17 rely solely on inactive modes of transportation to travel to and from school.
  
  
• Commuting for children: Mixed choices—23% 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—16% of Yukon children aged 5-17 reportedly receive physical education classes at school 1-2 days each week. A further 32% participate 3-4 days a week, and 39% receive daily physical education. Over half (58%) of Yukon parents believe that their children get enough physical activity through physical education provided at school.
  
  One-third of parents in the Yukon report that their children participate daily in physical education, compared with one-quarter or less in other areas.
  
  
• Other physical activity programming at school—77% of Yukon parents report that their children’s school offers physical activity programs outside of physical education classes. A total of 40% believe that these types of programs meet their children’s needs quite well or very well, and a further 28% report that they meet their children’s needs moderately well. However, 32% state that their children’s needs are met only somewhat well or not at all.
  
  
• Use of local physical activity facilities by schools—89% of Yukon 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.
  
  Parents in the Yukon are more likely than Canadian parents overall to report that their children’s school uses local facilities for physical activity.

Children's use of time after school

• Doing sedentary activities after school—Yukon parents report that 66% of children usually do homework for part of the time between the end of classes and dinner, and 81% 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, 65% of Yukon children spend some time doing chores between the time they finish school and supper.
  
  
• Playing outdoors after school—73% of Yukon children reportedly play outdoors between the time they finish school and the time they eat dinner.
  
  
• Participating in organized activities after school—37% of Yukon 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 Yukon parents, 68% 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 (94%) of Yukon parents report that public facilities and programs are available locally for their children to do physical activities. About 62% of Yukon 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, 34% of Yukon parents report that their children use these types of facilities and programs often or very often, 35% use them somewhat often, and 31% use them rarely or not at all.
  
  
• Private facilities and programs—62% of Yukon parents indicate that local private facilities and programs are available for their children’s physical activity. Furthermore, 40% believe that the local private facilities and programs meet their children’s physical activity needs well or very well, and 40% report that these facilities do not meet their children’s needs very well or at all. The majority of Yukon children (69%) 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 Yukon residents (94%). Among Yukon parents, 55% indicate that these types of facilities meet their children’s needs either well or very well, a further 24% report that they meet their needs somewhat, and 21% believe that they do not meet their needs very well or at all. In addition, 33% of Yukon children reportedly use parks and outdoor spaces often or very often, 38% use them somewhat often, and 28% do not use them very often or at all.
  
  
• Other local places for physical activity—88% of Yukon parents report that there are other places, like school yards used after hours, available locally for their children to do physical activity. Moreover, 46% of all Yukon parents reporting availability believe that these facilities meet their children’s needs well or very well, a further 26% report that they meet these needs somewhat well, and 28% report that they do not meet these needs very well or at all. Finally, 25% of Yukon children reportedly use these types of facilities often or very often, 30% use them somewhat often, and 45% do not use them very often or at all.
  
  Parents in the Yukon are more likely than Canadian parents overall to indicate the availability of such local places for their children’s physical activity.
  
  
• Safety concerns about children’s physical activity—A total of 15% of Yukon parents report that they worry a great deal when their children are playing outside. A further 23% worry somewhat, 26% worry a little, and 26% report that they do not worry at all.
  
  Parents in the Yukon 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 the Yukon, 38% of parents report playing active games or sports with their children either often or very often. A further 33% do this sometimes, and 29% do this rarely or not at all.
  
  
• Transporting children to physical activities—The majority of Yukon parents (55%) take their children often or very often to and from places where they can be physically active. Moreover, 26% do this sometimes and 19% do this rarely or not at all.
  
  
• Volunteering with physical activities—28% of Yukon parents report that they have supervised recess or helped out at a physical activity event at school during the past year. Also, 40% 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 77% of Yukon 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 the Yukon, 20% of parents report that their children prefer to spend most of their time being physically active, whereas 15% state that their children prefer mostly quiet activities, such as watching television, reading, or playing computer games. In addition, 65% of parents report that their children like to do both physically active and sedentary activities equally.
  
  Parents in the Yukon are more likely than Canadian parents overall to report that their children enjoy both active and sedentary types of activities equally.
  
  
• Organized or unorganized physical activities?—Whereas 31% of Yukon parents report that when their children are active, they prefer participating in unorganized physical activities, such as riding a bike, skateboarding, or walking, half as many (16%) state that their children prefer to engage in organized activities, such as soccer, dance classes, or competitive basketball. The remaining 53% of parents say that their children like organized and unorganized physical activities equally.
  
  
• Vigorous- or moderate-intensity activities?—29% of Yukon parents report that their children prefer vigorous physical activities, which involve considerable "running around," over moderate activities, which are less strenuous. Conversely, 25% of parents report a preference on the part of their children for moderate over vigorous activities. In addition, 44% 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 Yukon partner is the Department of Community and Transportation Services, Sport and Recreation Branch. For more information about Yukon active living initiatives, contact Active Living Consultant Karen Thomson at karen.thomson@gov.yk.ca.