Physical Activity: A Healthy Investment
We believe an active life is a better life and will continue working with our partners to ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to experience the many benefits of physical activity.
Moving people living in Canada to action
ParticipACTION is Canada’s most recognized and trusted physical activity leader. For over 50 years we’ve been working together with the Government of Canada and our partners in the sport, physical activity and recreation sector to help everyone living in Canada stay active and healthy.
We thank the Government of Canada for their continued support of our national physical activity promotion and participation strategies.
We continue to advocate for sustained investment in implementing effective policy and interventions at a national scale, guided by a new Strategic Plan – our blueprint to get everyone living in Canada Moving to Action!
We have a physical inactivity crisis in Canada.
Now is not the time to pull back investment — it’s the time for governments to reinvest in physical activity, because we already know the consequences of an inactive population. From an economic lens alone, physical inactivity costs our health-care system over $5 billion annually and billions more in lost productivity.
Physical inactivity is a pervasive public health issue that must be urgently recognized as a national priority.
Across all ages and demographics, people living in Canada are not moving enough. Less than half of adults (49%), and only 28% of children and youth in Canada meet recommended physical activity guidelines. Racially diverse groups, women and girls, newcomers to Canada, persons with disabilities, and members of the 2SLGBTQQIA+ and Indigenous communities report even lower rates of physical activity participation, placing these equity-denied groups at greater risk for poor health outcomes and premature death.
An ounce of investment is worth a pound of cure.
A recent World Health Organization (WHO) report states: “There are few areas in public health – such as physical activity – where evidence on required action is so convincing, cost effective and practical.” Simply put, there is no better “pill” than regular exercise if we want to age healthily, avoid severe chronic diseases and even limit the financial burden placed on our health-care system.
Helping everyone become more active and less sedentary should not be seen as a burden or a cost, but rather a powerful investment that will make us a healthy, joyful, environmentally progressive, inclusive and economically strong nation.