Portrait of Youth in Canada: Physical Health & Behaviours

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Release date: February 1, 2021
COVID-19: A data perspective Related article More information PDF version
Infographic: Portrait of Youth in Canada: Physical Health and Behaviours
Description: Portrait of Youth in Canada: Physical Health & Behaviours

Portrait of Youth in Canada: Physical Health & Behaviours

Compared with older Canadians, youth were in the best physical shape of their lives. They reported better health, smoked less (at least on a daily basis), were more active and were less obese than older Canadians.

Physical health and behaviours, by age group, household population, 2018 and 2019


Excellent or very good general health, 2019
Table summary
This table displays the results of Excellent or very good general health Men and Women (appearing as column headers).
Men Women
15 to 30 years 70% 66%
31 to 46 years 69% 65%
47 years or older 53% 54%

Daily smoking, 2019
Table summary
This table displays the results of Daily smoking Men and Women (appearing as column headers).
Men Women
15 to 30 years 8% 6%
31 to 46 years 14% 9%
47 years or older 13% 10%

Obesity, 2019
Table summary
This table displays the results of Obesity Men and Women (appearing as column headers).
Men Women
15 to 30 years 12% 12%
31 to 46 years 22% 19%
47 years or older 23% 20%

Active time, minutes per day, 2018
Table summary
This table displays the results of Active time Transport and Recreation (appearing as column headers).
Transport Recreation
15 to 30 years 18 19
31 to 46 years 16 16
47 years or older 12 12

Source: Canadian Community Health Survey, 2018 and 2019.

Mental health

Self-reported mental health in Canadian youth has been worsening in the last five years and the pandemic has accelerated the decrease.


Excellent or very good self-reported mental health, population aged 15 to 30, 2015 to 2020
Table summary
This table displays the results of Excellent or very good self-reported mental health. The information is grouped by Year (appearing as row headers), Men and Women (appearing as column headers).
Year Men Women
2015-2016 74 67
2017-2018 71 60
2019 66 54
July 2020 44 33

Sources: Canadian Community Health Survey 2015 to 2019, Canadian Perspectives Survey Series, July 2020.

Substance use

Heavy drinking and cannabis use in the past 12 months is higher among White Canadians (compared with those designated as visible minority) and among people in household with the highest income.


Heavy drinking and cannabis use in the past 12 months, population aged 15 to 30, by income quintile and visible minority status, 2019
Table summary
This table displays the results of Heavy drinking and cannabis use in the past 12 months Heavy drinking and Cannabis use (appearing as column headers).
Heavy drinking Cannabis use
Income
Lowest quintile 19 32
Highest quintile 33 37
Visible minority status
Visible minority 16 23
White 29 41

Source: Canadian Community Health Survey, 2019.

More information

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Copyright

Published by authority of the Minister responsible for Statistics Canada.

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada as represented by the Minister of Industry, 2021

All rights reserved. Use of this publication is governed by the Statistics Canada Open Licence Agreement.

Catalogue no. 11-627-M

Frequency: Occasional

Ottawa

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