Everyone has a role to play in improving conditions for kids to lead healthy, active lives.
That, from a University of Guelph professor after the release of ParticipAction's latest report card, which suggests children are falling deeper down the rabbit hole: more time spent in front of a screen, less time getting the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity per day.
The ParticipAction report card gives children and youth a D for overall physical activity, a drop from the D+ score in 2020.
It found only 28 per cent got the recommended level of physical activity, while 18 per cent met the recommended two hour cap for recreational screen time.
That resulted in an F for sedentary behaviours category, what they called a "significant drop" from the D+ score in 2020.
It didn't come as a shock to Jess Haines, as she pointed out COVID-19 played a major factor, whether it was the removal of opportunities for kids to get active like the suspension of organized sports, or kids being forced to stay home from school.
And in the digital age, it definitely compounded what has been an ongoing trend.
"There's lots of companies who are spending time thinking about how to make sure you and I, and kids, spend more time on a screen," Haines said.
She said much of the report mirrors the findings of the Guelph Family Health Study (GFHS), a project looking at how families with young kids can learn healthy habits.
Haines, the co-director for the GFHS, said one positive she heard was families decided to take walks together more during the pandemic, and spent time together outdoors.
It became a routine for some families. And in order to possibly reverse the trends indicated in the ParticipAction report, routine for kids and adults alike could be the key.
"One of the ways that families that seem to have kids that watch less screen time and are more physically active have routines around those behaviours," Haines said.
"So that the kids get pretty familiar about what's expected and then there's some intentional thought about what the week's going to look like. For example, having specific times that kids are allowed on screen or not.
"Likewise, specific times that we go outside as a family or specific times that we go and be physically active together. Both of those things really help kids know what to expect, and also seems to result in kids having better health behaviours over the long term."
Role modelling can be important too, she said.
"If we're telling our kids to stay off screen, but then they sit down to a meal and they see you on your phone, (it) can sometimes result in a less effective message," Haines added.
There's also something to create a safe, accessible environment outdoors.
"This has been shown in a number of different studies, where families feel safe having their children outside and enjoying greenspace that's accessible," she said. "Likewise, streets that are designed and feel safe for walkability, have sidewalks, have destinations to get to, have safe street lights, all of those can support physical activities.
"That report underscores the importance of making sure everyone has access to that kind of environment when we're thinking about ways to promote all children's health."
She said families can only do so much with what's available though, including the environment they live in, and that environment is impacted by policies that leaders can be thinking about and try to push for, policies she said would need to be equitable and support the health of the entire community.
