Abstract
BACKGROUND: Youth in Canada age 5-17 years require a minimum of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (PA) everyday. Regrettably, there are no published studies on levels of PA within on-reserve First Nations youth in Canada that use validated surveys. The objective was to determine what percentage of Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) First Nations on-reserve youth met the Canadian Society for Exercise and Physiology's (CSEP) definition for being physically active, and what influences are associated with meeting this standard.
METHODS: Students in grades 5-8 within the STC were asked to complete a youth health survey.
RESULTS: Only 7.4% of STC youth met CSEP's PA standard. Male youth (13.9%) were more likely to meet the PA standard than female youth (4.1%). Having parents who watch youth participate and who provide transportation to classes, having enough equipment at home, having friends bike or walk to school, participating in physical activity headed by a coach or instructor, and participating in structured classes are associated with meeting the standard.
CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of meeting the PA standard among on-reserve First Nations youth is very low. More research is needed to identify independent risk indicators of being physically inactive.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 430-436 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Journal of Physical Activity and Health |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Mar 2013 |
| Externally published | Yes |