Introduction: Active Living & Physical Activity

• Physical Activity & Population Health
• Background Resources

Physical Activity & Population Health

Physical Activity is a key determinant of health and well-being. As such, it is an important component of the Public Health Agency of Canada' s population health and disease prevention strategies.

The most recent data on physical activity in Canada tell us that almost half of Canadians are physically inactive and another 24% are not active enough to attain optimal health benefits (source: Statistics Canada's Canadian Community Health Survey).

Increasing physical activity levels in Canada will not only improve the health and well-being of Canadians, but also has the potential to produce significant health-care cost savings.

In February 2003, Federal, Provincial and Territorial Governments responsible for physical activity, recreation and sport set a new national target to increase the physical activity levels of Canadians by 10 percentage points in each province and territory by 2010.

Developed in partnership with the Canadian Council for Health and Active Living at Work (CCHALW), the Business Case for Active Living at Work is a major initiative undertaken by the Public Health Agency of Canada to improve the physical activity levels of Canadians at work.

This Business Case for Active Living at Work outlines the benefits of being active in the workplace, summarizes the research that has been done, plus provides some information about what works and how to get started. It also features a template that can be used to develop a business case for active living in your own organization.

The Business Case for Active Living at Work is one component of The Public Health Agency of Canada's workplace wellness strategies. Other components include:

• Network development through a partnership with the Canadian Council for Health and Active Living at Work ;
• Knowledge development through the Health, Work and Wellness Institute and the Health Work and Wellness Conference; and
• Awareness, recognition and education through the Healthy Workplace Award program in partnership with the National Quality Institute.

Health Canada's Policy and Workplace Health Strategies Bureau promotes awareness and understanding of comprehensive workplace health which involves the development of workplace policies and programs that address issues related to the physical environment (i.e., safety, injury prevention, ergonomics), the psychosocial environment (i.e., management practices, organizational behaviour) as well as individual health practices (i.e., health promotion/wellness programs). For more information, please visit the Workplace Health Strategies Bureau website.

Background Resources

The Public Health Agency of Canada's goal is to help Canadians maintain and improve their health. Increasing the number of Canadians who build physical activity into their daily lives to, from, or at the workplace is an important strategy being implemented to achieve this goal.

In 1998, Canada's Physical Activity Guide to Healthy Active Living was released. It was well-received by health, physical fitness and active living professionals, as well as the public.

In 1999, Canada's Physical Activity Guide to Healthy Active Living for Older Adults was introduced to help older Canadians improve their physical activity levels.

Canada's Physical Activity Guides to Healthy Active Living for Children and Youth along with a series of support resources for parents and teachers was released in 2002.

The Public Health Agency of Canada's goal is to help Canadians maintain and improve their health. Increasing the number of Canadians who build physical activity into their daily lives to, from, or at the workplace is an important strategy being implemented to achieve this goal.