Abstract

View the most recent version.

Skip to text

Background
Keywords
Findings
Authors

Text begins

Background

The 2007 to 2009 Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) collected directly measured physical activity on seven consecutive days for a representative sample of the population aged 6 to 79.  Based on the CHMS, half of the active minutes in a day are accumulated between 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.  For children, the most active period is lunch-time (11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.), and for teenagers aged 15 to 19, the after-school period (3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.). Children and youth are more active on weekdays than on weekends. Active children and youth tend to accumulate more minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity after school, whereas active adults do so at lunch time.  

Keywords

Accelerometer, Actical, activity monitor, body mass index, body weight, exercise

Findings

Canadian children and youth are more active on weekdays than on weekends, while adults have relatively consistent levels of physical activity regardless of the day of the week. At all ages, but particularly among children and youth, most physical activity occurs between 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., with distinct peaks at lunch time and in the afternoon just after school or work. Time-stamped objective measurement tools allow researchers to determine not only who is doing enough to meet physical activity guidelines, but also when that activity is occurring. [Full Text]

Authors

Didier Garriguet (1-613-951-7187; didier.garriguet@statcan.gc.ca) is with the Health Analysis Division at Statistics Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0T6.  Rachel C. Colley (1-613-737-7600 ext. 4118; rcolley@cheo.on.ca) is with the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute and the Health Analysis Division at Statistics Canada.