Friday, May 26, 2006

Mark Tremblay isn't very nice...

In an article in today's Vancouver Sun, Dr. Mark Tremblay from UofSaskatchewan wasn't very positive about Action Schools! BC...

The Vancouver Sun

Fri 26 May 2006
Page: A6
Section: News
Byline: Emily Chung
Source: Vancouver Sun

British Columbia, the host of the 2010 Winter Olympics, has a reputation for harbouring the health-conscious. But the province's kids are still couch potatoes, and its schools aren't doing enough to help them get active, says a new national report card on children's physical activity.

"You're good compared to the bad, but not good, if you know what I mean," said Mark Tremblay, chairman of Active Healthy Kids Canada, the non-profit organization that produced the report, which was released Thursday.

The report gave Canada a "D" grade overall, based on indicators such as low activity and high obesity among kids, and little parental involvement in making sure their children are active.

It recommended reducing the time kids spend in front of televisions and computers and encouraging parents to spend time on active pursuits with their children. The report did not compare provinces, but Tremblay said a number of indicators "generally show an east to west gradient, B.C. performing at the better end."The report showed B.C. has its own weaknesses, however. Its third key recommendation is that children participate in daily physical activity in their schools.

Though Victoria hosted an international conference on healthy schools this week, B.C. falls short of Ontario and Alberta on action. Both those provinces are implementing daily physical activity in their schools. Tremblay said B.C.'s own schools program, Action Schools!, is a step in the right direction, but doesn't have the teeth to produce consistent province-wide results. Elementary schools voluntarily register for the program, which provides recommendations and resources for teachers to help them provide a healthier school environment."Really, this will produce nothing," Tremblay said. "Schools are generally left to their own accord to implement this, and there's a fair bit of latitude."

The report card is also critical of Canadian municipalities. Only 17 per cent of them have a physical activity strategy, it notes. In 2004, B.C. municipalities were challenged by the provincial government and Legacies Now 2010, a non-profit organization aimed at creating benefits from the 2010 Olympics to increase their activity levels 20 per cent by 2010.But many communities still don't have programs in place. In Vancouver, an action plan was finally passed by the Park Board on May 1. The board is seeking approval for the plan from city council and funding from all levels of government.

Tremblay said he hoped such initiatives will carry on past the end of the 2010 Olympics. This is the second straight year Canada has received a "D" grade in the report.

The report card is available at www.activehealthykids.ca.

LET'S GET PHYSICAL

Recommendations from Canada's Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth 2006

1. Inform Canadian parents and caregivers about the importance of unstructured physical activity and "play" and help families re-establish active time together.

2. Step away from the screen and exchange sedentary television and computer time for physical activity.

3. Establish quality health and physical education classes and school-based daily physical activity policies in all provinces.

Source: Active Healthy Kids Canada

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