June 6, 2009 – Physical activity is not part of the lifestyle of a majority of Canadians, according to a recent Quebec study1.
Researchers identified physical activity data for 884 healthy Canadians aged 18 to 60 from three fitness surveys in 1981, 1988 and 2002-2004.2.
According to the results, 56% of the participants remained inactive during all these years and only 12% of the active subjects remained so until the end of the study. The research team also noted that those with lower education and income reduced their activity level to a greater extent as they aged.
The “ParticipAction” effect
The researchers also obtained some encouraging results. Only 7% of participants who remained active decreased the time spent exercising over the years. And one in four active participants increased their level of physical activity during that 22-year period. An increase that was noticed in all socio-economic subgroups, according to Tracie A. Barnett, lead author of the study. “This group may represent the proportion of people who were sensitized by active lifestyle campaigns like ParticipAction at that time. At least that’s what the study suggests, ”explains the professor at the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine at the University of Montreal and researcher at the CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center.
“We have to make sure that the easy choice is the healthy choice, the healthy choice! Sometimes the will is there, but the environment is not conducive to fostering this active lifestyle, ”says Tracie A. Barnett. She adds that these awareness strategies must take into account the environmental and social conditions of the entire population to improve access to physical activity.
Sophie Laforest, professor of kinesiology at the University of Montreal, is not surprised by the results of the study. According to her, you have to start young to be active. “Several studies have shown that if we instill in our children the habit of moving from a young age, they will maintain this habit later. We must see physical activity as an investment in the health of our children. One of the ways to give them a taste is to make it with them, ”she notes.
Simple activities
According to the kinesiologist, it is possible to become active even if you are older. She also suggests simple ways to stay active on a daily basis, including brisk walking, which is accessible to everyone. “Walking is excellent for your health, according to numerous studies. So, if we include periods of brisk walking in our regular walk, we can derive more gains from it, ”she illustrates.
She suggests trying to do small things on a daily basis, like going up the stairs instead of the elevator, even though it may seem trivial at first. “And if you go up the stairs two at a time, you work both your cardio and your thigh and butt muscles. “
Carole Boulé – PasseportSanté.net
1. Tracie A. Barnett, Lise Gauvin et al. Distinct trajectories of leisure time physical activity and predictors of trajectory class membership: a 22 year cohort study, Int J Behav Nutr and Phys Act. 2008, 5:57 doi: 10.1186 / 1479-5868-5-57.
2. The 1981 Fitness Canada Survey, the 1988 Campbell Canadian Wellness Survey, and the 2002-2004 Physical Activity Longitudinal Study.
