News Release

Health experts recommend you set your toddlers free

New Canadian guidelines for physical activity and sedentary behavior

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Canadian Science Publishing

Ottawa, Canada (March 27, 2012) – In response to an urgent call from public health, health care, child care, and fitness practitioners, the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP), with assistance from multiple partners, has developed two important sets of guidelines directed at improving the health and activity levels of infants and toddlers. The Canadian Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines for the Early Years (aged 0-4 years) and the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines for the Early Years (aged 0-4 years) are presented in the April 2012 issue of the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism (APNM).

"The development and publication of the first evidence-informed guidelines for the early years represents an important public health advancement in Canada," says Mark Tremblay, Director of Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research (HALO) at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) Research Institute, Chair of the CSEP Guidelines Steering Committee and lead author of the published papers. "The guidelines are based on the best available evidence, input from researchers, clinicians and care-providers and harmonized with international initiatives."

"As leaders in physical activity, we aim to increase the Canadian public's awareness, adoption and implementation of the new Guidelines for the Early Years," says Earl Noble, President of CSEP. "We've worked with numerous partners, including the HALO Research Group, to develop these Guidelines. CSEP is proud to provide this scientific-based guidance to assist promoting physical activity and discouraging sedentary behaviours in young Canadians."

Caregivers are advised to minimize the time infants, toddlers and preschoolers spend during waking hours sitting or being restrained (e.g., stroller, high chair). For those under 2 years, screen time (e.g., TV, computer, electronic games) is to be avoided. For children 2-4 years, screen time should be limited to less than one hour per day, and less is better. The guidelines for physical activity recommend that infants should be active several times daily through interactive floorbased play. Toddlers and preschoolers should accumulate at least 180 minutes of physical activity throughout the day.

More activity, they advise, provides greater benefits.

"Research on Canadian school-aged children has shown that obesity is rampant, physical fitness is declining, and activity levels are at an all time low. The time for early intervention has arrived," says Terry Graham, Editor, APNM. "These new Guidelines are an essential foundation for the health and ongoing development of our children."

The Guidelines for the Early Years (aged 0-4 years) are presented in French and English in the journal APNM at http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/apnm

###

Full references:

Tremblay et al. 2012. Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines for the Early Years (aged 0-4 years). Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism. 37(2). DOI: 10.1139/h2012-018 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/h2012-018

Tremblay et al. 2012. Canadian Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines for the Early Years (aged 0-4 years). Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism. 37(2). DOI: 10.1139/h2012-019 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/h2012-019

The new Guidelines for the early years accompany the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines and the Canadian Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines for Children and Youth published in APNM in 2011.

Also read:

New Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines, Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 2011, 36(1):36-46, DOI: 10.1139/h11-009 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/h11-009

Canadian Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines for Children and Youth, Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 2011, 36(1): 59-64, DOI: 10.1139/h11-012 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/h11-012

About CSEP:

The Canadian Society of Exercise Physiology is the national voice for professionals trained in the science of exercise http://www.csep.ca/english/view.asp?x=804.

For more information contact:
Judy Letourneau (Canadian Science Publishing, Ottawa, ON)
Email: judy.letourneau@nrcresearchpress.com
Phone: 613-993-0151

About the Publisher

NRC Research Press, which began as the publishing arm of the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) in 1929, transitioned in September 2010 from NRC and the Federal Government of Canada into an independent not-for-profit organization operating under the new name Canadian Science Publishing. Canadian Science Publishing (which continues to operate its journals under the brand NRC Research Press) is the foremost scientific publisher in Canada, publishing 15 of its own journals and providing advanced electronic publishing services to its clients. With over 50 highly skilled experts and an editorial team comprising some of the world's leading researchers, NRC Research Press (Canadian Science Publishing) communicates scientific discoveries to over 175 countries.

Disclaimer

Canadian Science Publishing operates under the brand NRC Research Press but is not affiliated with the National Research Council Canada. Papers published by Canadian Science Publishing are peer-reviewed by experts in their field. The views of the authors in no way reflect the opinions of Canadian Science Publishing or the National Research Council of Canada. Requests for commentary about the contents of any study should be directed to the authors. PLEASE CITE Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism (PUBLISHED BY Canadian Science Publishing, operating under the brand NRC Research Press) AND OUR WEBSITE, http://nrcresearchpress.com, AS THE SOURCE OF THE FOLLOWING ITEM. IF PUBLISHING ONLINE, PLEASE CARRY A HYPERLINK TO http://nrcresearchpress.com/action/showNews?filter=recent


Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.