Physical Activity Profile for Saskatoon Elementary Schools

8/3/2019 Physical Activity Profile for Saskatoon Elementary Schools

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PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PROFILE FOR

Saskatoon ElementarySchools

Saskatchewan Population Health and Evaluation Research Unit

Smart Cities, Healthy Kids

smartcitieshealthykids.com

Facebook.com/smartcitieshealthykids

Twitter.com/SCHKsaskatoon


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SASKATOON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PROFILESmart Cities, Healthy Kids is a three-year project sponsored by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research,the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, and the Health Research Foundation. We are centred in theSaskatchewan Population Health and Evaluation Research Unit (SPHERU) at the University of Saskatchewan.Our goal is to conduct research that will be of direct benefit to our research participants, partners, andcommunities in general. We aim to provide information, ideas, and assistance to those who work with

children to create innovative health intervention strategies. Videos about our research projects are found onYouTube by searching Smart Cities, Healthy Kids. We are grateful for the opportunity to collect data withinthe school systems and are happy to provide our results to those who have participated in this study.

Throughout the report, you will find word bubbles titled In Their Own Words These quotations come

directly from comments provided by students through the Smart Cities, Healthy Kids questionnaire.

Smart Cities, Healthy Kids is pleased to provide this results profile for your school. Sharing information withthe community is made possible through the funding and support of the following organizations:

University of Saskatchewan

University of Regina

City of Saskatoon

Saskatchewan Population Health and Evaluation

Research Unit

KidSKAN (www.kidskan.ca)

Saskatoon Health Region

Canadian Institutes of Health Research

Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada

Health Research Foundation

The principal investigator for this project is Nazeem Muhajarine, PhD. For more information regarding thisprofile, the research project associated with it, or a complete list of contributing researchers, visit

smartcitieshealthykids.comor contact:

Tracy RidallsResearch Manager, Smart Cities, Healthy Kids

Saskatchewan Population Health and Evaluation Research Unit(306) 966-2237

[email protected]

Note: Please interpret some results with caution. If students from your school did not participate inaccelerometry data collection, your school will not be represented in the accelerometry data section.However, our sample size is large enough that reported trends are generally representative of Saskatoon.Accelerometry data analysis is on-going and we will share the forthcoming results from this portion of thestudy with participants as they become available.

Participating schools: Alvin Buckwold, Bishop Filevich, Bishop Pocock, Bishop Roborecki, Brevoort Park,Cardinal Leger, Caswell, Dr. John Egnatoff, cole St. Paul, Fairhaven, Father Robinson, Forest Grove, Holliston,Howard Coad, King George, Lakeridge, Lawson Heights, Montgomery, North Park Wilson, Pleasant Hill, PopeJohn Paul II, Prince Philip, Princess Alexandra, River Heights, St. Anne, St. Dominic, St. George, St. Luke, St.Maria Goretti, St. Mark, St. Mary, St. Matthew, St. Michael, St. Volodymyr, Saskatoon French School,

Sutherland, Victoria, Westmount, Wildwood, and W.P. Batein all 40 elementary schools.


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REPORT HIGHLIGHTS

The goal of the Smart Cities, Healthy Kids study is to understand how urban planning and design can

be used to encourage children to be more physically active, thus slowing the rise in childhood obesity.

Videos introducing this study and our sister study on the Food Environment in Saskatoon can be found

on YouTubeby searching Smart Cities, Healthy Kids.

This report is the second in a series reporting to schools on study results to date. The first report

covered our finding from the Smart Cities, Healthy Kids questionnaire that we administered with 1,610

children in the spring of 2010; this report was sent to schools in June 2011 and can also be found on

our website, www.smartcitieshealthykids.com

This report covers our findings from the Modifiable Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (MAQ-A),

administered to 1,610 grades 5-8 students inspring 2010, and a sub-group of465 children who wore

accelerometers for at least 10 hours a day for four days, including a weekend day, over a one week

period.

Children reported on the MAQ-A that they got more than twice the amount of physical activity from

free play than from registered activities.

Children also reported that more of their moderate to high intensity physical activity came from free

play than from registered activities.

Boys got more high intensity physical activity than girls, regardless of whether they were engaged in

free play or registered activities.

Children in the lowest income neighbourhoods in Saskatoon also reported the lowest intensity of

physical activity.

In the lowest income neighbourhoods, 24% of children reported low physical activity, compared to

14% in the middle income neighbourhoods, and 9% in the highest income neighbourhoods. In the

lowest income neighbourhoods, 32% of children reported high intensity physical activity, compared

to 40% in the middle income neighbourhoods, and 50% in highest income ones.

The accelerometer data showed that 69% of boys and 57% of girls get 60 minutes of moderate to

vigorous physical activity on 3-5 days of the week or more.

It also showed children were much more active on weekdays than on weekends. Overall, boys had 77

minutes of moderate to vigorous activity on weekdays, and 48 minutes on weekends; girls had 67

minutes on weekdays, which dropped to 43 minutes on weekends.

Sundays had the lowest levels of moderate to vigorous activity, while mid to late week (Wednesday,

Thursday and Friday) appeared to have the highest levels.

Our research corroborates what other researchers have found: that the promotion of moderate to

vigorous physical activity on weekends may hold the greatest promise for increasing childrens

overall total moderate to vigorous physical activity levels.


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Smart Cities, Healthy Kids: The Project 1

Understanding the Issue: Childhood Obesity 3

Methodology: What and How 4

Participants in the Study 6

Gender Distribution 6

Grade Distribution 6

Age Distribution 6

Home Neighbourhoods 7

MAQ-A Questionnaire 8

Registered vs. Free Play 8

Intensity and Age 9

Intensity and Gender 10

The Neighbourhood 11

Accelerometry 12

Weekdays and Weekends 12

Meeting the Guidelines 13

The Food Environment: Our Sister Study 14

References 16

Appendix 18


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Page 1PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PROFILE 2011

SMART CITIES, HEALTHY KIDS: THE PROJECTThe goal of Smart Cities, Healthy Kids is to understand how urban planning and design can be used toencourage children to be more physically active, thus slowing the rise in childhood obesity. Tackling theproblem of childhood obesity requires multiple approaches. Many people, from health professionals,funders, policy makers, and researchers, to concerned parents, have identified environmental factors thatcan either help or hinder children and adults to live more active lifestyles. However, there has been little

research into how aspects of the urban built environment in which we all live such as buildings, roadways,sidewalks, parks, and green spacescan encourage children to be physically active. By learning about whatis and isnt working in our current neighbourhoods in Saskatoon, this study will help shape the design of

future neighbourhoods, here and elsewhere in Canada.

Research Question 1: How have the specific

planning strategies that the City of Saskatoon has

used in its neighbourhoods contributed to the

active living potential of these neighbourhoods?

During the summers of 2009 and 2010, we assessed all

60 of Saskatoons residential neighbourhoods using tworesearch surveys: the Neighbourhood Active LivingPotential (NALP) and Irvine-Minnesota Inventory (IMI).NALP is a 22-item survey that examines the activityfriendliness, safety, density of destinations and universalaccessibility of each neighbourhood. Activity

friendliness measures how suited the neighbourhood is

to human-powered activities such as walking,skateboarding, cycling, and wheelchair use. Safety

measures physical and social characteristics of theneighbourhood. Density of destinations measures

destinations within the neighbourhood that people cantravel to, such as public parks, sports and recreationalcentres, bus stops, local events, and shops. Universal

accessibility measures how easily people of all ages,

abilities and circumstances can access destinations intheir neighbourhood. IMI consists of 229 neighbourhoodfeatures that fall within five domains: attractiveness;diversity of destinations; pedestrian access; safety fromcrime; and safety from traffic. With these two surveys inhand, observers walked through all 60 of Saskatoons

residential neighbourhoods and recorded what theyencountered. Each neighbourhoods active living

potential was then assessed based on the results.Reports summarizing the results for each neighbourhoodi n S a s k a t o o n c a n b e f o u n d a t

smartcitieshealthykids.com.

The park should have

more street lights to

make it less scary

Health Benefits from Physical

Activity1

Improve health

Do better in school

Improve their fitness

Grow stronger

Have fun playing with friends

Feel happier

Maintain a healthy body weight

Improve their self-confidence

Learn new skills


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Quick Fact:

Food insecurity during the

preschool years has been

found to increase the

likelihood of obesity later in

childhood2

Quick Fact:Along with physical activity,

diet is the most well-studied

behavioural factor influencing

body weight and overweight

and obesity risk2


SMART CITIES, HEALTHY KIDS: THE PROJECT

Research Question 2: What is the relationship between a

neighbourhoods active living potential and the physical activity

levels and active transportation of the children between 10 and 13

who live in that neighbourhood?

We recruited 1,610 children to complete two detailed physical activityquestionnaires. The Smart Cities, Healthy Kids questionnaire was used todetermine demographic information and self-perceptions related tophysical activity. The Modifiable Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents(MAQ-A) was used to gather data on the registered and unregisteredphysical activities in which the children participate. A sub-group of 465 children was also recruited to wearaccelerometers for a week. Accelerometers are small, waist-mounted instruments that measure physicalactivity directly. This report includes physical activity information from the Smart Cities, Healthy Kidsquestionnaires.

Research Question 3: What do children and their parents thinkabout the influence their neighbourhood has on childrens activity

levels?

The first two research questions examine the relationship betweensystematically measured aspects of neighbourhoods and childrens

physical activity. Question three recognizes the importance of howchildren and their parents feelabout their neighbourhoods. To find out,we conducted in-depth interviews with 24 families whose children hadparticipated in earlier parts of the study. Each child was lent a digitalcamera with which to take photographs of places and things that they felt helped them to be active or, on

the other hand, prevented them from being active. We discussed these photos in interviews with thechildren, and have included the photographs in presentations of the research findings. We also conducted in-depth interviews with each parent about their perceptions of their neighbourhood environments.

It should be you dont

have to be good at the

sport to join

A second Smart Cities, Healthy Kids researchproject is currently being conducted that focuseson the impact of the food environment onchildhood obesity. Data collection in the schools

will commence in March of 2012.

For more information please refer to page 14 ofthis report.


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UNDERSTANDING THE ISSUE: CHILDHOOD OBESITYIn recent years, child health researchers and health practitioners in Canadahave been concerned about rising rates of obesity and physical inactivityamong children. Evidence points to a greater percentage of children thatare overweight or obese and experiencing associated health problems.These trends are a cause for concern and indicate a significant childhood

obesity and physical inactivity crisis. In fact, if the current trends continue,we will have a generation of children growing up for the first time withpoorer health status and lower life expectancy than that of their parents.Body mass index (BMI) is a measure used to determine childhoodoverweight and obesity. It is calculated using a childs weight and height.

What's the Prevalence of Childhood Obesity in Canada?

In 2004, 26% of Canadian children and youth aged 2-17 years wereoverweight or obese, including 8% who were obese. Overweight andobesity among Canadian 2-5 year olds remained the same between 1979and 2004 (21%), with obesity reported at 6.3% in 2004. Overweight andobesity doubled among Canadian 6-11 year olds between 1979 and 2004and obesity tripled among Canadian adolescents aged 12-17 years.3

What's the Prevalence of Childhood Obesity in Saskatchewan?

In 2007/2008, one-quarter (25%) of youth in Saskatchewan wereoverweight or obese; this was a 16% increase over 2001. Notably, in thesame year, more than half (57%) of youth in Saskatchewan were physicallyinactive, and the rate of inactivity has risen more than 17% since 2001.

Canadian Physical Activity GuidelinesFor health benefits, children (age 5 to 11) and youth (age 12 to 17) should get at least 60 minutes of

moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) daily. This should include vigorous-intensity activities (that

will cause children to sweat and be out of breath) at least 3 days per week and activities that strengthen

muscle and bone at least 3 days per week. More daily physical activity provides greater health benefits

such as improved self-confidence, stronger bones and maintenance of healthy weight.4

I think physical activity is

important for when we're

younger so we can be fit and

healthy when we're older.

Being physically active

makes you have a healthier

mind/body and makes it

easier to live. Without being

fit the world would be an

unhealthy place.

Type 2 diabetes Hypertension Sleep apnea Impaired balance Orthopedic problems Glucose intolerance andinsulin resistance

Negative body image Depression Negative stereotyping Teasing and bullying Social marginalization Low self-esteem

Health and Social Problems associated with Childhood Obesity5

Definitions of Childhood

Obesity

Overweight: Body Mass

Index (BMI) at or above the85th percentile and lower

than the 95th percentile

for children of the same

age and gender.

Obesity: BMI at or above

the 95th percentile for

children of the same age

and gender.


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METHODOLOGY: WHAT AND HOW

Modifiable Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (MAQ-A)

Questionnaires were administered from April to June of 2010. Keeping registered and non-registeredactivities separate, we asked children to list all of the activities they had participated in during the past

month. We also asked them to record the number of participation minutes, the perceived intensity (light,medium, heavy) and the location of each type of activity (school, park, facility, home). Later, during dataanalysis, standard values (MET*) were assigned to the recorded activities according to their type andintensity. These were totaled to provided the number of minutes and levels of physical activity (low PA,moderate PA, high PA) achieved during each day.

Self-reported questionnaires are a good way to understand childrens perceptions of physical activity.However, research has shown that children often have a difficult time recalling completed levels of physicalactivity, particularly as the time after completion increases. As a result, activity estimates may be somewhatexaggerated.5

Quick Fact:

Research has suggested that

indirect (MAQ-A questionnaire)

and direct (accelerometry)measures may produce differing

estimates of physical activity in

children and youth2

I think its good to be physically

active but its hard for people

who are poor or for people who

have no equipment

*Important Termsfor

understanding the MAQ-A data

MET = metabolic equivalent of task

Low Physical Activity = light change

from normal breathing

Moderate Physical Activity = abovenormal breathing

High Physical Activity = heavy

breathing

We used three different tools to explore physical activity trendsamong children in Saskatoon. The first was the Smart Cities,Healthy Kids (SCHK) questionnaire that we developed, the resultsof which we shared with you in the first round of reportsdistributed to the schools in June 2011. The results of the

remaining two tools are included in this second report. We alsoadministered a self-reported questionnaire (MAQ-A) to 1,610children in grades 5-8. Students from 40 public and Catholicschools were chosen. We then asked a sub-group of 465 childrento wear accelerometers to provide a direct measure of thechildrens physical activity levels and patterns.


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Quick Fact:

Accelerometers measure

movement in all direction

providing data on trends in

lifestyle choices7

Show them the benefits of

physical activity at a younger

age and tell them how to do

it on their own time. Also

teaching them what

different foods do to their

body

Quick Fact:

Sedentary behaviours include

screen time (watching TV or

using the computer), reading,

sitting during transit and

sedentary hobbies

2

How can you help to increase childrens physical activity?

Encourage active forms of transportation

Ask them to walk the dog with you

Have them rake the leaves, shovel snow or carry groceries

Encourage them to dance to their favourite music

Replace computer and TV time with something active

Build active opportunities into daily classroom routines

Encourage children to join a school sports team

Take kids to the playground or to the park to play


METHODOLOGY: WHAT AND HOW

Accelerometry

We gave accelerometers to a sub-group of children who had completedthe MAQ-A questionnaire. We asked each child to wear the device for aone-week interval, at some point during the months of May and June. Inorder for the data to be usable, each child had to have worn theaccelerometer for a minimum of 10 hours per day on at least 4 days of theweek, including one weekend day.

Accelerometers measure and record acceleration in all directions,providing an indication of activity intensity.6 They accurately measure step-based activities (e.g. skateboarding, soccer, dance), while non-step-basedactivities, such as cycling, are not as reliably captured.7 Accelerometers donot measure water-based activities as they cannot be submerged in water.As a result of these restrictions, some childrens activity levels may be

under-reported. Each childs activity levels were classified according to

speed of movement (sedentary, light activity, moderate or vigorousactivity), and thus total minutes of activity at each level was calculatedover the course of a day and week.

Important Termsfor understanding the accelerometry data

SED = sedentary, no change in breathing

Light = slight increase from normal breathing

MVPA = moderate to vigorous physical activity


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PARTICIPANT HOME NEIGHBOURHOOD

The city of Saskatoon divides thecity into Suburban DevelopmentAreas for planning purposes. Thegoal is to serve the commercialneeds of several neighbourhoods

through one central SuburbanCentre. The map below identifiesall nine of the SDAs Saskatoon.Blairmore, North Industrial, andEast do not contain schools andare not included in the study.Refer to the Appendix on page 18for a list of neighbourhoods ineach SDA.

The graph on the right shows the

distribution of SDAs in which the participants live. The largest group of children participating in the studylive in Confederation SDA. Studies shows that children living in lower income neighbourhoods have a higherlikelihood of being overweight or obese than their counterparts living in higher income neighbourhoods.10


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MAQ-A Registered vs. Free Play Activities

School gym classes really

need to be improved. They are

kind of a free for all. Plus we

need better equipment and

programs. It should be more

intense

We asked participants to report on their past months

activities from both registered and free play activities.They recorded the total number of active minutes aswell as the level of perceived intensity for each type ofactivity. The graph at the bottom of the page shows

the percentages of children who participated in low,moderate and high levels of physical activity duringboth registered and free play activities. The graphillustrates that children get more than twice theamount of physical activity from free play activitiesthan from registered ones.

These results are similar to other research findings.11 Children, in particular, benefit from opportunities forunstructured, self-directed play that may assist in their physical, motor, creative and social development,and sense of independence.12 According to Health Canada, it is desirable for children to get half of theirrecommended daily physical activity from unstructured free play.13

Studies have reported that being involved in organized sports during childhood is positively related tofrequency of leisure-time physical activity in early adulthood.14 Additionally it has been shown that youthinvolved in after school activity programs were more physically active than those who were not. 15 Althoughorganized sports are beneficial both physically and socially, participation does not ensure that youth meetthe daily physical activity recommendations on practice days. 16 This is because much of the practice timemay be spent waiting for instructions or turns.

Free Play Activity = Does not require

registration

E.g. walking, biking or playing games with

friends

RegisteredActivity = Requires sign up

E.g. school sports, community teams, dance

or swim lessons, exercise classes

According to an American study, 23% to 60% of school childrens daily

moderate to high physical activity is obtained through youth sports, withthe remainder coming from physical education, free play and activity duringrecess.16


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MAQ-A Intensity and Age

Understanding Intensity14

Low Intensity = will cause a slight change in breathing from normal

e.g. Walking the dog

Moderate Intensity = will cause children to sweat a little and breathe harder

e.g. Bike riding and playground activities

High Intensity = will cause children to sweat and be out of breath

e.g. Running and swimming

Age plays a large factor in the daily activity patterns of children. Studies consistently show that as childrengrow older they typically reduce their physical activity levels.17, 18 According to a U.S. study completed in2010, the most dramatic age-related decline in physical activity occurs at the start of puberty.17 Youth whostay active as they grow older are more likely to be active adults than their counterparts who are notactive.19

The graph at the bottom of the page shows the breakdown of registered and free play activities, based onage and intensity. Participants between the ages of 12-13 accumulated the most high intensity physicalactivity. It has been suggested that the benefits of participation in unstructured or free play activities/sportsare greater than those from structured or registered play.20 As shown in the graph below, at each age, moreof the moderate to high intensity physical activity comes from free play than from registered activities.


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MAQ-A Intensity and Gender

Be more encouraging to

kids that arent good at

sports

On average, boys tend to be more physically active than girls, regardless of the type of activity they aredoing. One study showed that children tend to be more active in locations where loose equipment (such asballs, skipping ropes, etc.) are available; however, this had a greater impact on boys activity levels than on

girls.21 This is a concern as girls are at a greater risk for low physical activity levels and for obesity.Furthermore, in an Alberta study it was shown that boys had higher self-efficacy (belief in their own ability to

carry out a task or behaviour) than girls, which in turn predicted higher physical activity levels.

22

The graphbelow is consistent with these studies and indicates that boys are getting a higher level of physical activitythan girls.

A 2010 study, showed that boys had similar physical activity levels for both organized and free play activities;however, girls tended to be more active in free play activities than in organized activities.21 The graph belowshows the results from our study indicating that both boys and girls tended to accumulate greater amountsof high physical activity during free play activities than during registered activities. Overall, boys got more

high intensity physical activity than girls regardless of whether they were engaged in free play or registeredactivities.


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MAQ-A The Neighbourhood

Stop making gym class the

class to miss if something

comes up

Researchers in the Smart Cities, Healthy Kids study are particularly interested in understanding how a childsneighbourhood impacts their physical activity. We examined differences in physical activity levels accordingto Suburban Development Areas and average neighbourhood incomes. The graph below shows that theConfederation and Core SDAs had the highest proportion of children reporting low physical activity levels.Lakewood SDA had the lowest proportion of children reporting low physical activity levels. In fact, Lakewood

had the highest proportion of children reporting high physical activity levels.

The graph below indicates that children in lower income neighbourhoods had lower levels of physical activitythan those in higher income neighbourhoods. In an eight-year Canadian study, a link was identified between

neighbourhood disadvantage and increased rates of obesity among children. 10,23 Furthermore, children inlower income families have less access to after-school programming and as a result are less able toparticipate in organized sport and physical activities after school.8


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Quick Fact:

The promotion of moderate

to vigorous physical activity

(MVPA) during the weekend

may hold the greatestpromise for increasing total

MVPA25


AccelerometryWeekdays and WeekendsA sub-group of 465 children was asked to wear accelerometers inorder to directly measure their daily levels of physical activity. Bothweekday and weekend days were recorded. The graph at the bottomof the page shows the number of weekend and weekday minutesspent participating in moderate to vigorous activity. On average themajority of children are meeting the 60-minute daily recommendationfor physical activity during the week, with the exception of 14-year-oldgirls who fall just shy of the mark. The graph shows that children aremuch more active on weekdays than on weekends. This is consistentwith other research findings.24 According to the graph below, 12-year-old boys had the highest levels of MVPA (moderate to vigorous physical activity) both during weekdays andweekends, while 14-year-old girls had the lowest levels of MVPA.

In order to successfully influence childrens physical activity patterns it is imperative to understand why they

are not meeting the daily recommendations, particularly on weekends. Parents can, both directly andindirectly, influence childrens activity levels through a variety of behaviours, such as, by acting as role

models for engaging in consistent and vigorous levels of physical activity, by providing verbalencouragement, or by engaging in the activity with their child.26

A 2007 study on parents support for

childrens physical activity, found that boys

tended to engage in more physical activity onthe weekend when their fathers directlyparticipated in the activity with them, whilegirls tended to be influenced by their mothers

planning of activities during the week.27


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Dont force us into desks all

day Designate some time

everyday to physical activity


AccelerometryMeeting the GuidelinesAccording to Active Healthy Kids Canada, results suggest that Canadian children are at least part way tomeeting the daily recommended guidelines for physical activity (see page 3). Roughly 44% of children get 60minutes of daily MVPA (moderate to vigorous physical activity) on at least 3 days per week, while 83% ofboys and 73% of girls are getting 30 minutes of MVPA on at least 3 days of the week. 19 Looking at the graphbelow, results from our study reflect similar findings: 69% of boys and 57% of girls are meeting the guidelines

(60 min) on 3-5 days of the week or better.

The graph below shows the average amount of time (in minutes and hours) that children spent insedentary, light, or moderate to vigorous physical activity each day of the week. During weekenddays children accumulated less time in MVPA than during the weekdays, with Sundays having thelowest total number of accumulated minutes at every activity level including sedentary. Mid to

late week (Wednesday, Thursday and Friday) appears to be the days with the most time in MVPA.


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THE FOOD ENVIRONMENT: OUR SISTER STUDY

Smart Cities, Healthy Kids has received additional funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research

and the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation for a sister study evaluating the impact of the foodenvironment on childhood obesity. The food environment refers to how easily we, and our children, canaccess nutritious food in the neighbourhoods in which we live. We are interested in where food stores andrestaurants are located in Saskatoon, and how nutritious the foods are that they carry. By incorporating dataon childrens body weight, we ultimately hope to support the development of improvements to health policy

and practice in Saskatoon, and also provide children and their families with information on theirneighbourhood food environments.

Question 1a: What is the geographical distribution of food stores and fast food restaurants in

Saskatoon, and how is this distribution related to neighbourhood demographic and socio-

economic profiles?

During the first four months of the study (September-December 2010), Geographic Information Systems (GIS)tools were used to create maps of fast food restaurants, grocery, convenience, specialty, and all other foodstores in all Saskatoon neighbourhoods. Public Health Services (Saskatoon Health Region) has already begunmapping the location of food stores in Saskatoon. Parts of the city where food access is limited have beenidentified and can be related back to demographic and socio-economic profiles.


Please consider Participating our research again when we return to schools in

the spring of 2012.

The map below represents a sample of the maps created through GIS and illustrates the walking distance tolarge and small supermarkets and convenience stores. It also shows that in some areas of Saskatoon it wouldnot be possible to walk to a supermarket.


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Quick Fact:

Children who eat fruit and

veggies at least 5 times per

day are substantially less

likely to be overweight.1

THE FOOD ENVIRONMENT: OUR SISTER STUDY

Question 1b: What are the differences in food environments, such as location of different types

of food stores and food quality, between higher and lower socioeconomic status neighbourhoods

in Saskatoon?

We measured the consumer nutrition environments of chain supermarkets, smaller grocery stores,

convenience stores and restaurants using a Canadian adaptation of the Nutrition Environment MeasuresSurvey for Stores (NEMS-S) and the original Nutrition Environment Measures Survey for Restaurants (NEMS-R). We will calculate scores for each store using availability, quality, and price, and for each restaurantusing availability, nutrition information, and price. Using these scores, we will then develop a series of mapsshowing the distribution of the quality of the food environment within all residential neighbourhoods inSaskatoon. We will also add selected demographic and socio-economic variables, to assess the relationshipbetween the food environment and neighbourhood income levels.

Question 2: What is the relationship between the quality of the food environment available, as

measured by (NEMS-S) and (NEMS-R), in Saskatoon neighbourhoods, and the dietary intake and

body weights of children aged 10-13 years living in those neighbourhoods?We will recruit approximately 100 children from each of the20 neighbourhoods that show the most and the leastpositive food environment characteristics based on theprevious study data collection (GIS and NEMS). Children willparticipate in a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) fordietary assessment that will be self-administered in class. Aresearch assistant will also measure heights and weights inorder to calculate body mass index (BMI) and determinebody weight status. The questionnaire includes questions on

socio-demographic characteristics, and our analysis willaccount for things like parental educational level, parentalincome, proportion of families with no vehicles, andproportion of lone parent families.

Question 3: How should the information collected in this study be shared in order to facilitate

change that will improve food environments for Saskatoon, and then in other cities in other

regions of the country?

We will conduct interviews with various governmental, health region, and community-based officials toshare preliminary results, ask for feedback, and discuss policy change options to improve the food

environment in Saskatoon. We will compile the results into a document that will be disseminated widely.

For further information regarding either of our Smart Cities, Healthy Kidsprojects please visit our website smartcitieshealthykids.com.



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REFERENCES

1. The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology. Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines. 2011 Available online: www.csep.ca/guidelines.

2. Obesity in Canada: A joint report from the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Institute for health Information. 2011.Available online: https://secure.cihi.ca/estore/productFamily.htm?locale=en&pf=PFC1636.

3. Shields, M. Measured Obesity: Overweight Canadian Children and Adolescents. Nutrition: Findings from the Canadian CommunityHealth Survey: Issue no. 1. Statistics Canada, 2005.

4. Tremblay MS, Warburton DER, Janssen I, Paterson DH, Latimer AE, Rhodes RE, et al. New Canadian physical activity guidelines. ApplPhysiol Nutrition Metab. 2011; 36:36-46.

5. Sallis, JF, Stirkmiller PK, Harsha DW, Feldman HA, Ehlinger S, Stone EJ, Williston J, Woods S. Validation of interviewer and self-administered physical activity checklists for fifth grade students. Med & Sc in Sport & Exercise. 1996; 28(7):840-851.

6. Colley R, Gorber SC, Tremblay MS. Quality control and data reduction procedures for accelerometry-derived measures of physicalactivity. Health Reports. 2010; 21(1).

7. Colley RC, Garriguet D, Janssen I, Craig CL, Clarke J, Tremblay MS. Physical activity of Canadian children and youth: Accelerometerresults from the 2007 to 2009 Canadian Health Measures Survey. Health Reports. 2011;22(1).

8. Active Healthy Kids Canada. Dont Let This Be The Most Physical Activity Our Kids Get After School. The Active Healthy Kid s Canada2011 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth. 2011. Available online: www.activehealthykids.ca.

9. Pfaeffli L. In Her Voice: An exploration of young womens sport and physical activity experiences. Focus group report and

recommendations. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity (CAAWS); 2009.

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APPENDIX: SUBURBAN DEVELOPMENT AREAS

Confederation SDA:

Confederation ParkConfederation Suburban CentreDundonald

FairhavenHampton VillageHoliday ParkHudson Bay ParkMassey PlaceMeadowgreenMontgomery PlaceMount RoyalPacific HeightsParkridgeWestview

P 18PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PROFILE 2011

Core:

Caswell HillCentral Business DistrictCity ParkKing GeorgeNutana

Pleasant HillVarsity ViewRiversdaleWestmount

Lakewood SDA:

BriarwoodCollege ParkCollege Park EastLakeridgeLakeviewLakewood Suburban CentreRosewoodWildwood

Lawson SDA:

Kelsey-WoodlawnLawson HeightsLawson Heights Suburban Centre

MayfairNorth ParkRichmond HeightsRiver HeightsSilverwood Heights

Nutana SDA:

Adelaide/Churchill

AvalonBrevoort ParkBuena VistaEastviewExhibitionGreystone HeightsGrosvenor ParkHaultainHollistonNutana Park

Nutana Suburban CentreQueen ElizabethStonebridgeThe Willows

University Heights SDA:

Arbor CreekErindaleEvergreenForest GroveSilverspringSutherlandUniversity Heights Suburban CentreWillowgrove

Physical Activity Profile for Saskatoon Elementary Schools

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Transcript of Physical Activity Profile for Saskatoon Elementary Schools