Government involvement in sport for youth.

AuthorSchuler, Ron R.
PositionEssay

With youth obesity rates at an all-time high in Canada and daily youth physical exercise at an all-time low, government involvement in youth sport has become desperately needed for Canadian families. Without a strong set of core changes made by government to youth sport, Canadian families will continue to struggle with pressures such as; good nutrition, consistent meals, increasing cost barriers for sport registration fees, aged facilities, the decline of volunteerism, a lack of early age athletic development, a lack of programming for inner city youth, and the continuation of poor showings during international competitions. These growing problems require a change in culture and with obesity costing the country over $7 billion a year, the issue is a significant concern. This article looks at some possible solutions including successful models implemented in Europe.

The cost of government funded health care is spiraling out of control and room must be made for the health of youth. Top heavy and unwieldy with issues that affect the whole country, the Canadian health care system is based on the concept that after a citizen contracts an illness or becomes injured, the system is accessed to attempt to deal with and mitigate the consequences as best as possible. For some larger issues such as the rampant child obesity problem throughout the country, the health care system has a tendency of normalizing the issue. (1) With more than 50% of the parents of obese children overweight themselves, this combination of busy lifestyle, reliance on convenience foods that are high in fat and calories, and too little physical activity all contribute to an issue that stems from the household. (2)

In contrast to this would be a pre-emptive health care system, or what is often referred to as a "holistic approach" to health. Shifting the focus from weight to activity instead of telling people about the importance of losing weight could be much more effective and make it easier for people to get out and be physically active in their communities. The promotion and development of exercise and sport at a young age allows an active approach to maintain a healthy lifestyle, for not only children, but for the parents who are responsible for setting an example. Government can make noticeable contributions to prevention, by simply making neighborhoods more walkable or using public money to create safety in public parks.

Another pre-emptive solution is the development of a strong youth sport public policy. Physical activity not only reflects traditional sports, but should also include the wide variety of exercise available such as; badminton, golf, bowling, dance classes, and hip hop and jazz classes. Thirty minutes of activity in adults and one hour of activity in children are suggested by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as it can help to reduce weight gain, stress, and is important for those who are at risk of or who already deal with diabetes. If Canadians could ensure that children grew up with a love of physical activity, they would improve their health and save health care dollars down the road, as well as increase the ranks of fit and athletic young Canadians.

The two largest youth problems facing the Canadian health care system are youth obesity rates and the increase in youth susceptibility to Type 2 diabetes. About 1 in 11 or 8.6% of children in Canada are considered obese, and in youth, the prevalence of obesity has tripled between 1979 and 2008. (3) The Public Health Agency of Canada found that physical inactivity (a person active less than 15 minutes a day) is the greatest predictor of obesity. Alongside rising obesity rates is the problem with increasing rates of Type 2 diabetes within Canadian youth. A study by the...

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