Family & Peers

Indicators

Grades

Quick Stats

Recommendations for Action

Family Physical Activity

D

• Children whose parents have rules about their media use are exposed to an average of nearly 3 hours less screen time per day than those who say they don’t have any rules.¹⁴⁸

• Strength and flexibility in Canadian adults (many of whom are parents) have dropped and obesity rates have risen significantly from 1981 to 2007-2009.¹⁷³

• Promote 3 household routines that have been identified to help prevent childhood obesity:¹⁷²

  – limiting TV time

  – eating family meals together

  – getting adequate sleep

Peer Influence

INC

• Peers can be both positive and negative in their influence on physical activity.¹⁰³

• Positive youth development and youth-led models have been shown to be helpful in fostering positive peer engagement in schools and communities. Peer engagement models such as these, where the influence is known to be positive, should be maximized when the influence is known to be positive.

• Campaigns promoting physical activity in peer groups should be established to position spontaneous, recreational play as a means of expression and self-determination led by youth.