VOL 50: APRIL • AVRIL 2004d Canadian Family Physician • Le Médecin de famille canadien 601
Surveillance médicale FP Watch
Moving our children to health
Active play every day
Maureen F. Kennedy, MD, MSC, CCFP, DIPSPORTMED
W
ho would have thought that toddlers and pre- schoolers would be the focus of a physical activity campaign? Children are natural movers and never seem to sit still. Do they really need our help to be active? The answer is yes.Unfortunately, more children are obese then ever before, and we need to pay attention to even very young children’s physical activity levels.
Results of a study in Scotland showed that children aged 3 to 5 were getting only one third the rec- ommended amount of physical activity each day.1 In the 15 years ending in 1996, the prevalence of overweight children in Canada increased from 15%
to 20% while the prevalence of childhood obesity more than doubled.2 Adolescents are presenting with type 2 diabetes, once thought to affect only adults.3 Physical inactivity, television watching, and video game playing are risk factors for obesity in Canadian children.4
Primary care physicians, given their central role in health promotion, can increase patients’ aware- ness of the benefits of physical activity and help them become more active. Physicians see most preschool children for yearly checkups. Parents and guardians of preschool children need to under- stand the importance of children making healthy, active choices very young.
The College of Family Physicians of Canada col- laborated with the Canadian Paediatric Society to produce a poster (included in the polybag with this issue) specifically designed for family physi- cians’ and pediatricians’ waiting rooms. The poster
encourages parents and guardians to ask doctors how they can promote physical activity to their preschool children. Place this poster prominently in your office and ask parents what their children are doing at play time.
Encourage parents to invite their children to move throughout the house with them instead of leaving the little ones in one room, such as the family room with the television on. Parents can play follow-the-leader and hide-and-seek with their children indoors or outdoors. Dancing to music is a great activity for parents and children. Remind parents that even very young children notice when their parents are physically active. Active parent role models can make physical activity appealing to small children.
We do not need to design toddler exercise train- ing programs to fight childhood obesity. We need only help children be the naturally active little peo- ple they were meant to be.
Dr Kennedy is a member of the College of Family Physicians of Canada’s Physical Activity and Health Strategy Coordinating Committee.
References
1. Reilly JJ, Jackson DM, Montgomery C, Kelly LA, Slater C, Paton JY. Total energy expen- diture and physical activity in young Scottish children: mixed longitudinal study. Lancet 2004;363:211-2.
2. Health Canada. Canadian physical activity guides for children and youth. Ottawa, Ont:
Health Canada; 2002. Available at: www.hc-sc.gc.ca. Accessed 2004 Feb 18.
3. Ehtisham S, Barrett TG. The emergence of type 2 diabetes in childhood. Ann Clin Biochem 2004;41(Part 1):10-6.
4. Tremblay MS, Wilms JD. Is the Canadian childhood obesity epidemic related to physical inactivity? Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2003;27(9):1100-5.
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