Directly measured physical activity and sedentary time in Canada: New results from the Canadian Health Measures Survey, 2022 to 2024
Released: 2025-10-17
In the period from 2022 to 2024, close to half of adults (46%), over 9 in 10 preschoolers aged 3 to 4 years (91%), and over half of children aged 5 to 11 years (52%) met recommended physical activity levels. These rates have remained relatively unchanged since the period from 2018 to 2019, when these measures were last collected.
Youth aged 12 to 17 years, by contrast, were less likely than other age groups to adhere to physical activity recommendations (21% in the period from 2022 to 2024) and were less active than in the period from 2018 to 2019, when 36% met recommendations.
These results are based on new data released today from the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS), cycle 7 (2022 to 2024), which includes direct measures of daily movement patterns using an accelerometer. Participants wore an accelerometer on their waist for seven days, to track how much time they spent being sedentary or engaged in light and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA).
Physical activity is a key indicator of population health, linked to reduced risks of chronic disease and premature mortality, as well as improved mental health. In Canada, current guidelines recommend that adults engage in at least 150 minutes of MVPA per week and that children and youth aim for at least 60 minutes per day.
The lowest levels of physical activity are seen among youth, especially among females
Overall physical activity levels mask important differences by age group and sex. For example, among males, the proportion of youth aged 12 to 17 meeting the recommendations (33%) was half of what it is for children aged 5 to 11 (66%). Among females, the difference between youth (8%) and children (37%) was more pronounced.
While few changes were observed among preschoolers and children between the period from 2018 to 2019 and from 2022 to 2024, the percentage of youth meeting the physical activity recommendation fell from 50% to 33% among males and from 21% to 8% among females.
The decline in physical activity among Canadian youth mirrors trends observed in a previous study that compared self-reported physical activity data from the Canadian Community Health Survey collected before (2018) and during (2020 to 2021) the COVID-19 pandemic. While physical activity remained stable among adults during the pandemic, Canadian youth reported accumulating, on average, two fewer hours of physical activity per week compared with the fall of 2018. The new results released today using CHMS data corroborate this previous finding that shows a decline in physical activity among youth.
Sedentary time remains high, especially among youth
Canadian guidelines for adults recommend no more than nine hours of accelerometer-measured sedentary time per day. Sedentary time includes time spent sitting, reclining or lying down, including activities such as watching television, using computers, reading, or commuting. In the period from 2022 to 2024, Canadian adults spent an average of 9.3 hours per day of sedentary time, with just over two in five (42%) meeting the recommendation (Chart 1). Males (35%) were less likely than females (49%) to meet the recommendation.
The adult guidelines also recommend no more than three hours per day of recreational screen time. Over half of adults (57%) met the recommendation, with more females (62%) meeting them than males (52%). This is consistent with data from 2018 to 2019 (61% of adults).
Youth have higher accelerometer-measured sedentary time (10.6 hours per day) than adults, as well as children (7.6 hours per day) and preschoolers (6.6 hours per day). For both children and youth, there is no recommendation for total sedentary time.
Canadian guidelines for children and youth recommend no more than two hours per day of recreational screen time. Youth were less likely to meet the target (28%) compared with younger children (62%). Unlike physical activity, which shows a sex difference, the percentage of females adhering to the screen time recommendation was similar to that of males (Chart 2).
When compared to pre-pandemic numbers, meeting the screen time recommendation has declined among children but remained stable among youth. In the period from 2018 to 2019, 73% of children aged 5 to 11 years met the screen time recommendation, compared with 62% in the period from 2022 to 2024. Conversely, rates for youth went from 31% to 28%.
Strategies to incorporate more movement into our daily lives
The CHMS also collects self-reported information about how much time people spend outdoors, how often they engage in strength and flexibility training and whether they use active ways to get to and from work or school. These behaviours are great ways to incorporate more movement into one's daily life.
Spending time outdoors is associated with higher levels of physical activity, and people who use active transportation tend to have higher overall levels of physical activity. More than two in five (42%) Canadian adults reported using active ways to get to and from places at least once in the week prior to the survey, while lesser proportions reported engaging in strength training (39%) and flexibility training (36%) on at least two days in the week prior to the survey.
Canadian children and youth spent just over two hours per day outdoors in the week prior to the survey, while 43% reported engaging in strength training on at least two days in the week prior to the survey and 34% reported engaging in flexibility exercises on at least two days in the week prior to the survey.
The link between physical activity and obesity
Recent statistics released by Statistics Canada indicated that one in three Canadian children and youth are classified as either overweight or as having obesity. The causes of obesity are numerous and complex, but physical activity and sedentary behaviours are key factors. Low activity levels during adolescence may continue into adulthood and could contribute to weight challenges later in life. Trends observed over time using CHMS data show a modest increase in overweight and obesity among young adults between the period from 2018 to 2019 and from 2022 to 2024. Using historical weight data collected via earlier cycles of the CHMS, Statistics Canada reported that higher body weights are appearing earlier in adulthood when compared to previous generations.
Chart 1
Adherence to physical activity, sedentary time and screen-time recommendations among adults aged 18 to 79 years, by sex, 2022 to 2024
Chart 2
Adherence to physical activity and screen-time recommendations among children and youth, by sex and age group, 2022 to 2024
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Note to readers
The Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) is the only ongoing nationally representative source of direct health measures in Canada. It provides detailed insight into the health conditions and behaviours of the Canadian population and is designed to inform the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of illnesses, as well as to promote health and wellness.
Data for Cycle 7 of the CHMS were collected from November 2022 to December 2024. The target population included persons aged 1 to 79 years living in the 10 provinces. The observed population excludes: persons living in the three territories; persons living on reserves and other Indigenous settlements in the provinces; full-time members of the Canadian Forces; the institutionalized population; and residents of certain remote regions. Altogether, these exclusions represent approximately 3% of the target population.
The results for physical activity and total sedentary time are based on physical activity data collected using accelerometers—small motion sensors worn on the hip for seven days. These devices provide an objective measure of movement by capturing how much and how intensely people move throughout the day. There were important changes made to this component in the CHMS in Cycle 7. Participants were asked to wear an ActiGraph wGT3X-BT accelerometer for 24 hours a day for seven days. In previous cycles participants were asked to wear an Actical accelerometer during their waking hours only. As such, direct comparison between the results from cycle 7 and previous cycles should be done with caution.
The accelerometer data for waking hours—including measures of sedentary time, light, moderate and vigorous physical activity, as well as step counts—are available today. The accelerometer data for night time wear (i.e., measures of sleep) will be released at a later date.
The data are presented for the following age groups, which align with the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines: preschoolers (3 to 4 years), children (5 to 11 years), youth (12 to 17 years) and adults (18 to 79 years).
According to the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines, adults and older adults are recommended to limit sedentary time to eight hours or less per day. However, to align with surveillance recommendations and with the Public Health Agency of Canada's Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour and Sleep Indicators, the indicator for meeting total sedentary time recommendations in adults has been operationalized as nine hours or less of accelerometer-measured sedentary time.
The results for meeting physical activity and accelerometer-measured sedentary time are calculated using the activity monitor subsample file and associated survey weights.
The results for screen time are based on self-report which were released recently alongside other questionnaire and direct measures from the CHMS. Estimates for this indicator are calculated using the full sample survey weights. However, if combined with the indicator accelerometer-measured sedentary time they are calculated using the activity monitor subsample survey weights. Estimates may differ slightly depending on which survey weights are used.
Finally, due to the sampling strategy of the CHMS, estimates by sex are not available for those under the age of 6. Therefore, estimates for 3- to 4-year-olds are not presented separately for males and females.
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).
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