“There is much we can do to foster a love of physical activity in recreation in youth,” says Professor Parissa Safai of 91��ɫ’s School of Kinesiology & Health Science in the Faculty of Health. She was on the research committee responsible for the main report and was the lead researcher for all the qualitative components of the report.

Safai designed and analyzed the research exercises with more than 140 youth at a youth summit. She also compiled a series of community snapshots with 91��ɫ kinesiology and health science PhD student Alana Harrington to highlight physical activity promotion success stories in Toronto and the GTA.

The report highlights seven key recommendations targeted at increasing physical activity among youth. Those recommendations, says Safai, include ways to support girls – the least physically active population group in Canada.

As Safai says, “Physical activity in youth is critical in the development of lifelong habits.”

But what the report found is “low levels of physical activity have not changed much over the last decade….only 42 per cent of Torontonians are physically activity during leisure time.”

Among the seven highlights, the report found that girls may require a different approach; there is a large knowing-doing gap among youth when it comes to physical activity; socio-cultural barriers make a difference; schools play an important role in fostering physical activity; and the environment, including walkable neighborhoods and safe recreation spaces, can make a difference.

Safai has been a part of the Get Active Toronto research team since 2008. “This year's report focuses on what we can do to help youth be more active. Together, Torontonians are in a position to reduce or eliminate many of the barriers that face our children and youth,” she says. “But we still need to be aware of the gaps in our knowledge of physical activity and encourage funders and researchers to continue to work together to help us all develop a more complete picture of physical activity in Toronto so that we can reduce all of the barriers we face.”

One of the ways to help youth is to encourage adults to display positive attitudes about physical activity and to be better role models for young people. “We need to understand that social isolation, embarrassment and peer pressure also contribute to physical inactivity in youth,” says Safai.

To view the , visit the website.

Get Active Toronto is a public-private collaborative seeking positive change in the physical activity levels of Torontonians.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin

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Published in the August issue of the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism, the study finds that obese people who are otherwise healthy, live just as long as their slim counterparts and are less likely to die of cardiovascular causes.

“Our findings challenge the idea that all obese individuals need to lose weight,” says lead author Jennifer Kuk, a professor in 91��ɫ’s School of Kinesiology & Health Science, Faculty of Health. “Moreover, it’s possible that trying – and failing – to lose weight may be more detrimental than simply staying at an elevated body weight and engaging in a healthy lifestyle that includes physical activity and a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables,” she says.

Kuk’s team looked at 6,000 obese Americans over a 16-year span, comparing their mortality risk with that of lean individuals.

They found that obese individuals who had no (or only mild) physical, psychological or physiological impairments had a higher body weight in early adulthood, were happier with this higher body weight, and had attempted to lose weight less frequently during their lives. However, these individuals were also more likely to be physically active and consume a healthy diet.

Right: Individuals should consult their physician about whether or not they need to shed the extra weight

Researchers used a newly-developed grading tool, the Edmonton Obesity Staging System (EOSS), which has been found to be more accurate than body mass index (BMI) for identifying who should attempt to lose weight. Developed by University of Alberta researchers, it is modelled on staging systems that classify the extent and severity of other diseases such as cancer, mental illness and heart disease. It offers five stages of obesity based on both traditional physical measurements such as BMI and waist-to-hip ratio, plus clinical measurements that reflect medical conditions often caused or aggravated by obesity (such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease).

Kuk stresses that in order to determine whether or not they should lose weight, individuals should see a physician to be evaluated using the EOSS criteria.

The study, “Edmonton Obesity Staging System: Association with Weight History and Mortality Risk,” is co-authored by Chris Ardern, professor in 91��ɫ’s School of Kinesiology & Health Science, Faculty of Health; Timothy S. Church, director of the Laboratory of Preventive Medicine, Pennington Biomedical Research Center; Arya M. Sharma, professor of Medicine & Chair in Obesity Research and Management at the University of Alberta, and scientific director of the Canadian Obesity Network; Raj Padwal, professor, University of Alberta; Xuemei Sui, professor, University of South Carolina; and Steven Blair, professor, University of South Carolina.

Republished courtesy of YFile – 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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