Prairie kids dropped more physical activity during COVID pandemic

Like many people, kids stopped moving around as much during the COVID-19 pandemic and got a lot more screen time — and it appears it may have been worse for kids on the prairies.

ParticipAction put out its report card Tuesday for kids’ activity, with Canadian kids earning a B overall for physical activity, down from a B+. It’s the first time that grade has declined since 2007.

The group’s research found that in 2020 and 2021 — when the data was gathered — an average of 28 per cent of children and youths met the goal of 60 minutes of moderate to physical activity per day.

Children also saw an increase in screen time. The overall grade for sedentary behaviours in the report was an F, down from a D+ in the previous report.

Dr. Nicholas Kuzik was born in Regina and spent the first few years of his life in Saskatchewan but is now a research fellow at Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario.

He said there were some positives in the report as people found creative solutions to pandemic problems. Things like active transportation, finding active ways to get from point A to point B, active play, and engaging with nature more were up.

“(They were) finding these solutions where they could still maintain social distancing but getting their activity,” Kuzik explained.

Diving into some of the data used in the report, Kuzik looks at Statistics Canada’s Canadian Community Health Survey, and that data point found some of the greatest declines in youth physical activity were in the prairies. However, he said youths in rural areas saw a less drastic decrease than urban youths.

“One of the reasons that this may have been occurring is that it may have been linked to the easier access to nature,” said Kuzik.

“We saw that active play, or playing outdoors, was one of the … things that increased during the pandemic as we looked for creative solutions to be active. And so being in these rural areas may have afforded these children the opportunity for more access to nature.”

Kuzik said there’s always concern that things like less activity and more screen time will stick but, at this point, it’s too hard to say which way things will go as people get back to more normal life.

For those parents who want to increase or keep physical activity going, Kuzik suggests staying active as a family.

“(They can be) spending time outside together being active, using active transportation to locations when possible,” said Kuzik.

As winter looms, he said things like preparing for outdoor activities by having the proper gear and connecting with community organizations can help. He also said taking screens out of the picture at meals and bedtime can help, as well as preparing inside activities like yoga and board games.