Childhood Obesity: A Growing Public Health Crisis
Obesity is becoming a serious health issue and an undeniable public health challenge. Once considered a primarily American problem, obesity is now spreading worldwide—so much so that the WHO describes it as a global epidemic. What concerns health professionals even more is the alarming rise in childhood obesity. In Québec, 18% of children aged 2 to 17 are overweight, and 10% are obese. In the long term, these children are at high risk of developing serious health issues that will result in enormous costs to our healthcare system.
Alarming Statistics
Most school-aged children and youth are not active enough to meet the current Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines. Among children and youth aged 5 to 17, only 13% of boys and 6% of girls perform at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day, as recommended.
Do your children fall into this category?
Here Are the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines
To promote health, children and youth aged 5 to 17 should engage in:
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At least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily
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Vigorous-intensity activities at least 3 days per week
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Muscle- and bone-strengthening activities at least 3 days per week