In the summers, she would play in her neighbourhood for hours, enjoying the freedom, until her mom blew a Girl Guide whistle three times - her signal to come home. Other childrens’ mom’s on her street had their own signals: a bell and a bike horn.
That’s how Katya Herman remembers her childhood, but she doesn’t think things are the same now. She’s an assistant professor of kinesiology and health studies at the University of Regina.
Instead of going on adventures outside, kids are given an iPad to play on a screen.
“We’ve engineered technology into our lives and physical activity out of our lives,” said Herman.
The loss of play for children is one of many factors why child obesity has risen in Saskatchewan. More than a quarter of children in the province are overweight or obese, according to the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Obesity has tripled in the last 25 years, according to StatsCan.
“It’s a fact that obesity tracks from childhood to adulthood, so the tracking is extremely high. So, the large majority of children who are overweight or obese, will end up overweight or obese as adults,” said Herman.
Young children don’t often get to decide on some of the choices that contribute to obesity, such as what they eat.
Karie Kazakoss is one of the managers of LiveWell Chronic Disease Management for the Saskatoon Health Region.
Kazakoss said parental involvement is important as kids will often copy their parent’s behaviours. She gave the example of taking away screen time for children to promote more activity, but this would mean the parents also have to limit their time on their phones and computers.
“We’re not sure if we know why but if they can model it to their kids, it might be as simple as children will do as you do and not as you tell them,” said Kazakoss.
There’s an abundance of information available to parents now on how to create a healthy lifestyle for their kids, information Kazakoss wishes she would have known when she was raising her own children.
But, occasionally it isn’t the easiest for parents, either.
“Sometimes people are struggling with other things, like poverty. Where they’ve got other issues going on and the weight doesn’t seem like that big of deal right now, compared to the other things happening,” said Kazakoss.
Creating a realistic plan for families to do together is what some children need, she said. For herself, as a parent, it was realizing as long as the food was healthy, not to worry as much about how much her kids were eating and to let them learn how to portion control themselves.
But, there are many more factors why obesity in children is rising in the province - some which are out of parents’ control.
“Families need options,” Herman said.
In the province’s north, access to healthy and fresh foods can be a problem, as well as affordability. Herman added that every neighbourhood does not have a safe place for children to get that valuable play, which will most definitely begin to take a toll on the province’s health care system.
Chronic conditions are showing up in younger ages more than ever before, said Kazakoss. For example, it was once known as adult-onset diabetes, but Type 2 diabetes is showing up in younger children more than ever before, according to the Canadian Diabetes Association.
Other than the home, schools are often the other place children spent majority of their time.
Saskatchewan students spend 950 learning hours at school a year. That’s a lot of sitting down.
For Cole Wilson, the president of the Saskatchewan Physical Education Association and the Consultant for Health and Physical Education for the Saskatoon Public School Division, it’s about trying to figure out how to incorporate more physical activity into the classroom.
Saskatchewan students currently get 120 to 150 minutes per week of physical education and educators are seeing the difference in kids now.
“Our students aren’t as physically fit as they used to be. They aren’t coming to us with the same free play experiences they used to come to school with,” Wilson said.
One of the things kids learn in physical education is how to be an engaged citizen.
“What are we doing as decision makers in our province that’s leading to this. Why are we letting our kids be babysat by iPads and TVs and DVDs and things like that?” said Wilson.
“I think we need to look at ourselves, as decision makers, and ask ourselves, and say, ‘what kind of society are we creating that we would take these young people that naturally want to move and be active and turn them into these inactive overweight people?’”
If this trend continues for children, the consequences could be detrimental.
“That’s why it’s been called the obesity epidemic.” said Herman. “This is the first generation where there is a fear that it might be the first generation that will not outlive their parents.”
