These guidelines, called the Canadian Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines for Children and Youth, provide vital insight into how truly important it is for kids to move around frequently, in all kinds of ways, every day.

For children (aged 5-11 years) and youth (aged 12-17 years), the guidelines recommend:

• limiting recreational screen time to no more than two hours per day;
• limiting  sedentary transport; and
• limiting prolonged sitting and time spent indoors throughout the day.

What’s the Problem with Being Sedentary?
According to the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP), sedentary behaviours for children and youth are characterized by:

• little physical movement and low energy expenditure;
• sitting for long periods of time;
• using computers;
• playing passive video games;
• motorized transportation; and
• watching television.

The CSEP reports that scientific evidence has shown a direct connection between increased sedentary time and decreased fitness, poor self-esteem, weak academic performance, obesity and increased aggression.

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“Canadian children and youth spend sixty-two per cent of their waking hours in sedentary pursuits, with six to eight hours per day of screen time as the average for school-aged kids,” said Dr. Mark Tremblay, Director, Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research (HALO) at the CHEO Research Institute, and Chair of the CSEP Physical Activity Guidelines Committee.

When Kids Get Going
The good news is that reducing sedentary time can provide health benefits. According to Tremblay, lower levels of sedentary behaviour are “consistently associated with improved body composition, cardio-respiratory and musculoskeletal fitness, academic achievement and even self-esteem.”

“Generally, kids that are active are better learners,” said Brian Torrance, Director of Ever Active Schools in Edmonton, Alberta. “For instance, school kids that have had a 10-minute walk before a test arrive at the exam with their ‘neurons firing’ and are more relaxed, so test results are better.”

Torrance suggests that some schools may not be as aware of the need to reduce sedentary time as others. “Awareness at the school level about limiting sedentary behaviour definitely needs to increase, so these new guidelines are a helpful tool to boost that awareness,” he said.

Sedentary Guidelines Complement Physical Activity Guidelines
John C. Spence, Associate Dean, Research, at the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, explains that some researchers are now finding that simply being less sedentary provides health benefits, regardless of the amount of moderate or vigorous physical activity or exercise a person may do each day. “What this research shows is that just by standing for longer periods and moving around more often during the day, a person will burn several hundred more calories per day. “

But Spence and other experts are quick to add a word of caution: simply being less sedentary is only part of the solution on the road to good health.

In fact, the Canadian Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines for Children and Youth are complementary to the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines for the same age range.

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As suggested by CSEP’s president, Dr. Audrey Hicks, the two guidelines together “can be thought of as a recipe for families to give children the best possible chance to gain health and social benefits.”

The Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines recommend at least 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity per day for children and youth, while the Canadian Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines highlight what children should be doing the “other 23 hours” of the day.

A Shared Challenge
Torrance suggests that meeting physical activity guidelines and the sedentary guidelines is a big challenge, and a shared responsibility among parents, schools and the wider community.  “For instance, if schools generally carry the responsibility for kids to get 30 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity per day, then the other 30 minutes needs to happen at home and in the community.”

When it comes to reducing sedentary time, Torrance notes that parents need to play a key role because of the large amount of sedentary time that happens after school hours or during transportation. But he also notes that schools can take many different actions to reduce sedentary time during school hours, and to help promote active forms of transportation to and from school.

Torrance offers just a few suggestions for school leaders to help reduce sedentary time at school:

• have more frequent “energizers” and small activities throughout the school day
• promote physical activity and games during outdoor recess (not just standing outside the school)
• for indoor recess, promote games or fun choices that can be done in small spaces, such as scarf juggling
• at recess, in different classes, or during other breaks, use daily physical activity (DPA) bins which offer a variety of games and activities for different age groups
• promote participation in intramurals, but not just sports; include other options for intramural activities that involve fundamental movement skills

The CSEP suggests that the majority of sedentary time can be replaced with a variety of light intensity activities. The CSEP also suggests that healthy active living requires a “whole day” lifestyle approach, with parents, caregivers and teachers as primary role models for children and youth.

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For parents, here are just a few ideas to get you and your kids moving:

• instead of driving your kids to school, have them walk or bike with friends
• encourage your kids to be involved in after-school activities, such as a pick-up football game, cycling with friends, team sports, dance class, scouts, guides, or a hiking or walking group
• in the evening, play active family games that limit sitting time
• limit after school television, sedentary video gaming, texting and other screen time
• engage your kids in helping you prepare meals (giving them age appropriate tasks)
• offer your kids some active choices for indoor and outdoor chores; change it up often, so they don’t get bored with the same chore
• after school and in the evening, encourage teens to visit with friends instead of only communicating with them online
• invite your kids on a walk or bike ride after dinner; aim to do it regularly so the “active habit” gets established and becomes the norm
• when being physically active together, engage your kids in a conversation about their interests and keep the activity fun

Parents Take Note
For adults, it’s a similar story when it comes to sedentary behaviour. The less sedentary you are, the better it is for your health. Plus, the more you know (and do) about being less sedentary, the more you can share your knowledge with your kids, and the better you can lead by example.

Spence notes that even someone who “runs daily” may not be as healthy as they could be, if they lead mostly sedentary lives. “That type of person may train quite hard and run for an hour or more each day, but if they are sitting, watching television or leading a sedentary lifestyle the rest of the time, then they may face similar or higher health risks as people who don’t exercise energetically all that much, but are less sedentary overall.”

Spence explains that the “A Ha!” moment about sedentary behaviour hits home when people come to understand that their “health consequences or outcomes” are not “buffered” by activities such as an energetic daily workout, jog or bike ride.

“There are many people who think that being physically active and exercising hard is the best way to reduce health risks, but the sedentary guidelines help people to see how important it is to also be less sedentary each day.”

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Spence says that an important “first step” people can take is to actually be “more mindful” about being less sedentary. “There are lots of ways to remind yourself during the day to be more active, such as using a screen saver or a beeper to help you remember to stand up and move about,” he noted.

To help you be less sedentary at work or at home, keep these ideas top-of-mind:

• stand up more often
• move around more often
• stand up and stretch often, at home, or at your desk or workplace
• take active breaks during your work day (e.g., go for a short walk on your breaks, and/or a longer walk on lunch hours)
• visit co-workers in person, rather than sending e-mail on every topic or subject
• call a “walking meeting” with co-workers; walk indoors or outdoors, depending on your work location

Children and youth should be taught about the recommended limits on sedentary time and the health benefits of being less sedentary and more physically active. They should also be encouraged to monitor their amount of active time versus sedentary time, and be offered a wide variety of physical activity choices or suggestions. Adults can help by serving as good role models, especially if the kids see you are taking steps to be less sedentary and more physically active.

The Canadian Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines for Children and Youth are not a “magic” solution for getting kids to be less sedentary and more active, but they are fresh, innovative and a good “wake-up call” to parents, schools, caregivers, communities and policy- and decision-makers.

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Learn More
Canadian Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines for Children 5-11 Years

Canadian Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines for Youth 12 – 17 Years

Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines for Children 5 – 11 Years

Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines for Youth 12 – 17 Years

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