Active Healthy Kids Report Card Gives Ontario Youth A D-Minus On Physical Activity

TORONTO - A charitable group is giving Ontario's kids a D-minus in physical activity.

Active Healthy Kids Canada says it's issuing its first-ever Ontario supplement to its national report card for this year.

It says Ontario's children are doing only marginally better than the whole country.

Just 32 per cent of Ontario's youngsters are taking the recommended 13,500 steps per day to meet Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines.

The group says that's not enough to head off a looming health-care crisis in Ontario.

Experts say physical activity is key to preventing chronic health problems such as diabetes, cancer, obesity and high blood pressure.

"The indicators show that Ontario is slightly ahead of the country with regards to overall physical activity levels, but this is not a proud point," said Rachel Colley, an official with Active Healthy Kids Canada.

"Less than half of Ontario's children and youth are accumulating sufficient steps to achieve desired health benefits and very few are getting the 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity they need every day."