Citation

Lemstra M, Rogers M, Thompson A, Moraros J. J. Phys. Act. Health 2013; 10(3): 430-436.

Affiliation

Department of Pediatrics, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Human Kinetics Publishers)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

22820496

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Youth in Canada aged 5 to 17 require a minimum of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (PA) everyday. Regrettably, there are no published studies on levels of PA within on-reserve First Nations youth in Canada that use validated surveys. The objective was to determine what percentage of Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) First Nations on-reserve youth met the Canadian Society for Exercise and Physiology's (CSEP) definition for being physically active, and what influences are associated with meeting this standard. METHODS: Students in grades 5 through 8 within the STC were asked to complete a youth health survey. RESULTS: Only 7.4% of STC youth met CSEP's PA standard. Male youth (13.9%) were more likely to meet the PA standard than female youth (4.1%). Having parents who watch youth participate and who provide transportation to classes, having enough equipment at home, having friends bike or walk to school, participating in physical activity headed by a coach or instructor, and participating in structured classes are associated with meeting the standard. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of meeting the PA standard among on-reserve First Nations youth is very low. More research is needed to identify independent risk indicators of being physically inactive.

Language: en