By Canadian Press

Kids not getting enough exercise, spend too much time with screens: new data

Oct 18, 2017 | 11:14 AM

New data shows most Canadian children and youth are still not getting the recommended amount of daily physical activity.

Two studies from Statistics Canada reveal they are also spending more time in front of digital screens than experts like.

The federal agency released the findings Wednesday, drawn from the Canadian Health Measures Survey.

The first study concludes that fewer than 20 per cent of Canadian children and youth meet all three targets for sleep, sedentary behaviour and physical activity.

The majority are getting enough sleep but half are too sedentary and only about a third get enough physical activity.

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It’s recommended that kids and youth get 60 minutes per day of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and spend no more than two hours a day with digital screens.

A second study shows virtually no change from 2007 to 2015 in average daily minutes of physical activity.

It also found that boys tended to be more active than girls, and that six- to 11-year-olds accumulated more physical activity than 12- to 17-year-olds.

The Canadian Press