| Technology is killing kids, especially girls. There’s proof backing up this statement, too.
OK, technology may not be killing people directly, but it isn’t helping youngsters live healthy lives, according to the child advocacy group Active Healthy Kids Canada. In its second national survey of kids’ physical activity, the organization says Canadian kids in general don’t get enough activity and girls get considerably less than they should.
"A significant gender gap exists: compared with boys, girls consistently report less daily physical activity," the report states. "The differential ranges from 10 to 15 per cent, depending on the data source."
Canada’s Physical Activity Guidelines for Children and Youth suggest they need 90 minutes of moderately active activity, such as walking, or vigorously active activity, such as running, each day.
To measure the impact of new technology, the Active Healthy Kids Canada survey compares overall fitness levels of kids from a "typical" home to kids living in traditional Mennonite families.
The traditional families are more like those of three or four generations ago, where everyone takes responsibility for chores in the house, garden, yard etc. and there’s little time for every modern convenience.
Not surprisingly, the "typical" kid with access to TV, the Internet, home video systems, etc. and fewer chores is less active. Perhaps that’s not new or earth-shattering news, but the fact that only 36 per cent of parents regularly participate in physical activity with their children is cause for concern. And that less than one-third of parents are aware of the 90-minutes of daily physical activity recommendation isn’t surprising, just cause for more concern.
The message is repeated often, but is worthy of mention yet again. Parents, get your ass off the couch or out of the office chair and go run around with your kids, especially if they’re girls.
PLAYING THE ANGLES
Calgarians pull more than the bodies of the stupid or unfortunate out of the Bow River.
Anglers line up all along the shore of this great river landing fish that are often big, but typically larger in mind than in reality. And as the city’s population grows, so does the pressure on the fish. Thankfully, over 75 per cent of anglers surveyed in 1995 for the Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) survey of recreational fishing say they release every fish they catch.
The heat wave at the end of August and early September highlights the importance of this statistic and the need for people to release fish extremely carefully. When temperatures climb to about 22 degrees Celsius or higher, the amount of oxygen absorbed in the water is reduced, according to the Alberta government.
When caught, the fish undergo obvious stress and demand more oxygen. Poor handling of the fish and low oxygen levels exacerbate that stress leading to increased fish mortality rates, especially in trout. Not a good thing.
To handle fish properly, the provincial government recommends wearing soft, wet gloves, using a rubber net and limiting the time the fish spend out of the water.
Incidentally, DFO, along with the provincial governments, is conducting another survey of anglers this year. The data won’t be available until next year. However, it should prove a useful tool to help gauge what anglers do with the fish they pull from the river and whether or not fish limits need to be altered, changed or introduced.
As this goes to print, the provincial government is asking Albertans to fill in its own, separate online survey on fishing.
The province is looking for input toward a 2006-10 fish conservation strategy until October 1. The survey is an opportunity to provide opinions on fish management practices for the next five years. |
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