Kids' physical activity dropped during pandemic, but researchers encouraged by more outdoor play
CBC
A new study attempts to quantify what many parents likely already know: dismal activity levels for kids and youth fell even further during the pandemic, while screen time soared.
ParticipAction's latest report card on physical activity gives children and youth a "D" for physical activity — a drop from "D-plus" in 2020's report card.
At the same time, kids succumbed to more sedentary screen time, earning an "F" in that category, billed as "a significant decrease" from the "D-plus" in 2020.
The report card's 15th edition is based on data collected during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time that put a sudden halt to play dates, sports activities and gym classes for many kids.
For the third time in a row, the ParticipAction report card gave kids and youth an overall grade of "F," which takes into account physical activity, screen time and sleep recommendations.
ParticipAction's scientific director, Dr. Leigh Vanderloo, largely pegs the backslide to fallout from the sweeping infection control measures introduced in the spring of 2020.
But she also points to encouraging signs that many families discovered a fresh zeal for outdoor activities during the pandemic, suggesting that if outdoor enthusiasm continues while sports and physical education classes resume, grades could rise again.
"I do think this is going to serve as more of a blip," Vanderloo said of how the data will be viewed alongside past and future report cards.
"There was this reinvigoration for spending time outdoors. We saw it with campsite registrations, park use — some of them were off the charts, they've never seen so much [demand among] people wanting to get outdoors," she said. "Partly because there weren't a lot of options, but still, hopefully that'll continue."
The public's embrace of parks, trails and other outdoor spaces for family entertainment and exercise allowed this year's grade for household support for physical activity to remain a C, while active transportation increased to a C– and active play improved to a D–, from F.
Greater difficulty may be found in reversing the spike in screen use, said Vanderloo, noting that school lockdowns forced kids onto laptops and computers to continue their education while physical-distancing rules drove up social media and screen-based entertainment in lieu of face-to-face friend time.
Add in the draw of TikTok and new, pandemic-era social media stars — not to mention the likelihood that parents, too, have increased screen time — and the challenge of untethering youth from their devices becomes especially tough, said Vanderloo.
Harm-reduction strategies likely won't work now, she suggests, referring to the tactic as a "finger-wagging approach" that stresses the detrimental effects of screen use.
"I don't think that's beneficial," said Vanderloo, believing people will continue to use screens more than they should.
