The Challenges of Teaching Fitness in an Era of Physical Inactivity

According to a local scientist, your child may have the body of a 40-year-old and carry the risk of weakened bones, heart disease and diabetes.

Dr. Dean Kriellaars, a scientist at the Manitoba Institute of Child Health, the research division of The Children’s Hospital Foundation and associate professor, physical therapy, University of Manitoba says, “Since 1989, the prevalence of obesity in Canadian children has increased over 500%. Over the same period of time, the amount of daily physical activity in children/youth has reached alarmingly low levels.” Kriellaars adds, “This inactivity is making our children obese and many of them have the bodies of middle-aged adults.”

In 2003, 75% of Canadian children/youth did not meet the minimum recommended level of daily physical activity. These statistics have led to the growing concern that the current behaviour patterns of children and youth may accelerate the likelihood of developing lifestyle-related diseases in adulthood such as diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular problems.

Dr. Kriellaars is now assisting the provincial government with assessing the Quality Daily Physical Education program (QDPE) in Grades 11 and 12 in Manitoba. The QDPE program, implemented in 2008, is a well-planned school program of compulsory physical education (PE) provided for a minimum of 50 hours of moderate physical activity (averaging up to 30 minutes per day) throughout the school year. Students earn their physical education credit for taking part in intramural sports, school teams and community-based activities, such as fitness workouts or other organized sports.

Together with his research team, Kriellaars is involved in assisting students with developing a pattern of daily and/or regular participation in physical activities and an understanding of how to acquire and maintain optimal personal health and fitness. His study focuses on three groups.

• Students who participated in a structured physical activity component in school and studied fitness and health related topics online.
• Students who participated in their own physical activities out of school and studied fitness and health online.
• Students in a control group who were not required to participate in physical activity.

Dr. Kriellaars research, which is funded by the Manitoba Institute of Child Health, revealed that the new provincial mandatory Grade 11/12 PE program preserved the amount of physical activity by nearly 1800 steps per day which helped students’ burn fat, build muscle and boost cardiovascular fitness. Students in the in school PE program shed 1.6 pounds in fat and beefed up their muscle mass by 3 pounds. Their upper body strength and endurance was also boosted, and importantly enhanced their cardiovascular fitness levels.

The Manitoba Institute of Child Health is the research division of The Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba. The Institute is dedicated to excellence in pediatric research. At the Institute, more than 220 world-class pediatric medical researchers, technical staff, students and support staff are involved in over $8 million of research and clinical trial activities each year.

(Winnipeg, Manitoba – April 22, 2009)