Findings

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The health benefits of physical activity are numerous and well-documented — a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, some types of cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, depression, stress and anxiety.^1-3  In addition, the economic impact of physical inactivity can be substantial and has been estimated at $5.3 billion, or 2.6% of total health care costs in Canada in 2001.⁴  Even so, close to half (48%) of Canadians aged 12 or older, 12.7 million people, were inactive in their leisure time in 2005, meaning that they did the equivalent of less than a half hour of walking per day.  As well,25% (6.6 million) reported that they usually sit most of the day.  And during a typical week, 41% (10.8 million) spent less than one hour walking to get to work or school or to do errands.

How much is enough?
Half at least moderately active
Men, young people more active
Income, immigrants, ethnicity
Type and frequency of activities
Better health, lower weight, less stress
Not only leisure time
Geographic variations
Big city residents less active
Activity increasing

How much is enough?

How much physical activity is enough — what type? how long? what intensity? how frequently? — is the subject of debate.⁵  Evidence indicates that 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise on most days provide some health benefits, notably, a decreased risk of chronic diseases, and that increasing benefits come from doing more, especially vigorous activities.¹  Some recent recommendations suggest that 60 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per day is needed to prevent weight gain.^2,5

Half at least moderately active

For this study, respondents to the 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) were classified as active, moderately active or inactive, based on their self-reported leisure-time pursuits (see The data).  They were asked about the frequency, duration and intensity of their participation in a variety of activities over the previous three months.  For each activity reported, average daily energy expenditure was calculated by multiplying the number of times the activity was performed, by the average duration, by the energy cost (kilocalories per kilogram of body weight per hour).  The sum of the average daily energy expenditure of all activities was used to classify respondents as:

• Active - Using 3 or more kilocalories per kilogram of body weight per day; for example, walking an hour a day or jogging 20 minutes a day.

• Moderately active - Using 1.5 to less than 3 kilocalories per kilogram of body weight per day; for example, walking 30 to 60 minutes a day,or taking an hour-long exercise class three times a week.

• Inactive - Using less than 1.5 kilocalories per kilogram of body weight per day; for example, walking less than half an hour each day.

Based on these measures, 27% of Canadians were active in their leisure time, and an additional 25% were moderately active (Table 1).  Combined, just over half (52%) of people aged 12 or older reported that they were at least moderately active during their leisure time in 2005.

Men, young people more active

Physically active leisure time is more common among men than women.  A higher percentage of men than women reported being at least moderately active in their leisure time, particularly at younger (less than 34) and older (65 or older) ages (Table 1).  Among both sexes, the proportions who were active declined after ages 12 to 17 (Chart 1).  For women, the proportion levelled off at ages 25 to 34, and then fell again after age 65.  For men, the drop in the percentage who were active continued until ages 35 to 44, but remained at this level at age 65 or older. 

Income, immigrants, ethnicity

Leisure-time physical activity was less prevalent among people in lower income groups, compared with the highest income group (see The questions).  This difference persisted when other socio-demographic characteristics, non leisure-time activity and activity restrictions were taken into account (data not shown).

Immigrants, regardless of how long they had been in Canada, were less likely to be at least moderately active in their leisure time than were Canadians overall.  This relationship remained even when adjusted for the age distribution of the two groups (data not shown).  By contrast, rates of being at least moderately active were above the national rate for off-reserve Aboriginal people and White people.

Type and frequency of activities

In 2005, Canadians' most popular leisure-time physical activity was walking.  A majority of men and women (64% and 76%, respectively) reported walking in their leisure time in the past three months (Table 2).  Gardening, home exercises, swimming, bicycling, jogging, dancing and weight training were also among the leading leisure-time physical activities, reported by between 19% and 47% of Canadians.

As well, for people who participated in each activity, walking was the one done most frequently (on average, 14.8 times per month), followed by home exercises (12.6 times) and weight training (9.7 times) (Table 2).  Although a substantial share of people reported gardening (47%), it was done less frequently than many other activities (on average, 6.8 times per month).  Because these figures reflect year-round averages, activities and frequencies can vary with the season.

People who were active in their leisure time engaged in physical activity an average of 59 times a month.  This compared with 31 times a month for those who were moderately active, and 11 times a month for those who were inactive (p < 0.05).  However, the average number of times reflects neither the duration nor intensity of activities.

Active people also reported participating in more types of leisure-time physical activities in the past three months (an average of 6), than did moderately active (4) or inactive individuals (2) (p < 0.05).

Better health, lower weight, less stress

Physically active Canadians fared better on several measures of health than did their inactive counterparts.  Those who were active in their leisure time were more likely to rate their health excellent or very good (rather than good, fair or poor) (Chart 2).  They also reported lower levels of stress, were less likely to report high blood pressure, and were less likely to be overweight or obese.  These differences between active and inactive people were evident among both men and women (data not shown).  Moreover, the relationships  persisted when socio-demographic characteristics, non-leisure-time physical activity and activity restrictions were taken into consideration (data not shown).

Not only leisure time

Leisure time accounts for only a portion of an individual's overall physical activity.  Respondents to the 2005 CCHS were asked to characterize their daily activities or work as:

• usually sit during the day and don't walk around very much;

• stand or walk quite a lot during the day, but don't have to carry or lift things very often;

• usually lift or carry light loads, or have to climb stairs or hills often; or

• do heavy work or carry very heavy loads.

CCHS respondents were also asked how much non-leisure time they had spent in a typical week during the previous three months walking or bicycling to work and to school and doing errands.

In 2005, 8% of Canadians reported that their normal daily activities involve heavy work or carrying very heavy loads.  A further 25% reported that they usually lift or often carry light loads or climb stairs or hills, and 42% indicated that they stand or walk quite a lot.  As well, nearly one-quarter of people (24%) said that, in the past three months, they had spent at least six hours a week walking or bicycling as a means of transportation. 

People who were active in their leisure time were more likely to be active in other aspects of their lives, compared with people whose leisure time was moderately active or inactive (Table 3).  Even so, 70% of people with inactive leisure time reported some physical activity during a typical day, and 22% spent at least six hours a week walking or bicycling for transportation.  These figures suggest that some people may be active enough during non-leisure hours, alone or in combination with their leisure time, to derive health benefits.

On the other hand, nearly 2 million Canadians (8%) reported no or very little physical activity.  That is, they had inactive leisure time, usually sat during the day, and walked or bicycled as a means of transportation less than two hours a week.  This was the case for a higher percentage of women than men (8% versus 7%; p < 0.05), and for older rather than younger people (14% of seniors aged 65 or older versus 4% of 12- to 17-year-olds; p < 0.05).  Many who reported low levels of physical activity also reported activity restrictions (46%), which may, in part, account for their inactivity.

Geographic variations

An east-to-west gradient in leisure-time physical activity is evident in Canada.  In 2005, residents of Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia and Yukon were more likely to be active or moderately active, compared with the national rate (Chart 3, Appendix Table A and Appendix Table B).  By contrast, rates for residents of the Atlantic provinces, Quebec, Nunavut, Manitoba and Saskatchewan were below the national rate.  This pattern persists when the differing age composition of the various provinces and territories is taken into account (data not shown).  (Information by health region is provided in Appendix Tables A to D.)

The geographic distribution of non-leisure physical activity rates differed from that of leisure-time activity.  Rates of being physically active in usual daily activities were above the national figure in the Atlantic provinces, Prairie provinces and British Columbia, while rates were lower in Quebec, Nunavut and Yukon, and similar to the national rate in Ontario (Appendix Table C).

Quebec had a significantly low rate of walking or bicycling as a means of transportation, while rates were higher in all other provinces and territories except Yukon (Appendix Table D).

Big city residents less active

Physical activity rates reported by residents of the largest (population more than 2 million) census metropolitan areas (CMAs) were below the national figures (Chart 4).  Even so, according to CCHS data, big city residents were less likely than people outside the largest cities to be overweight or obese.¹⁴

Since a substantial share of the immigrant population resides in the largest CMAs, it is possible that the low rates of physical activity among immigrants could affect the overall activity rates in those CMAs.  In fact, when examined separately, leisure-time physical activity rates for immigrants in the largest CMAs were below the national rate, while rates for non-immigrants were above the national rate (data not shown). 

Immigrants were also less likely to be physically active in their usual daily activities or to spend at least six hours a week walking or bicycling as a means of transportation (data not shown).  However, the low overall rates of these activities in the largest CMAs were not influenced by immigrants — rates were low among both immigrant and non-immigrant residents (data not shown).

People in census agglomerations (CAs) and smaller CMAs (population from 10,000 to less than 2 million) had higher rates of being at least moderately active in leisure time, and of walking or bicycling for transportation, than the national rate.  They were no more or less likely to be active in their usual daily activities. 

Municipalities outside CMAs and CAs can be classified by the percentage of residents who commute to work in the urban core of a CMA or CA.  The higher the percentage, the stronger the metropolitan influence (MIZ).  Municipalities fall into one of four categories: a strongly influenced zone, a moderately influenced zone, a weakly influenced zone, or a zone that is not influenced (see The questions).

In 2005, leisure-time activity rates reported by people living outside CMAs and CAs generally did not differ from the national rate, except in zones of moderate or no metropolitan influence, where rates were below the national figure (Chart 4).  However, usual daily activity rates were above the national rate in all zones of metropolitan influence, except the territories.  And rates of walking or bicycling for transportation were higher than the national figure in areas with little or no metropolitan influence and the territories.  Even controlling for age, the relationships between physical activity and metropolitan influenced zone remained (data not shown).

Activity increasing

A comparison of results from the 1996/1997 National Population Health Survey with those from the 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey shows that the proportion of Canadians in the 10 provinces who reported at least moderately active leisure time rose from 43% to 52% (data not shown).  The increase persists even when the differing age composition in the two periods is taken into account, and is evident for both sexes and in all provinces (data not shown).  This is consistent with other research showing an increase in physical activity levels since 1981.¹⁵ 

Non-leisure physical activity also increased in the 10 provinces.  The proportion of people who spent at least six hours a week walking or bicycling as a means of transportation rose from 19% to 24% (data not shown).  As well, the proportion who usually did heavy work or lifted heavy loads grew from 5% to 8%, and those whose daily activities usually involved lifting or carrying light loads,or often climbing stairs or hills increased from 17% to 25% (data not shown).  However, the proportion who walk or stand quite a lot during the day declined substantially from 51% to 42% (p < 0.05 for all comparisons).  Even when adjusted for the differing age composition between the two periods, these trends in physical activity persisted (data not shown).