Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour and Sleep (PASS) Indicators
- Last updated: 2023-03-27
The PASS Indicators are grouped by movement behaviours and broken down by individual, family/social and built/society environment.
| Sex | Percentage (%) | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Total population | 43.9 | 35.6 - 52.1 |
| Females | 30.7 | 19.8 - 41.6 |
| Males | 57.1 | 47.6 - 66.6 |
Notes: This indicator measures average daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.
Source: Canadian Health Measures Survey 2018-2019
(NEW) highlights indicators not previously reported upon and/or for which the measure or data source has changed.
aDue to changes in survey methodology, the PASS 2023 estimates for this indicator should not be compared to those from previous PASS editions.
Measure Description
| Definition | The physical activity recommendation within the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth (https://csepguidelines.ca/guidelines/children-youth) calls for an average of at least 60 minutes of daily moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) for children and youth aged 5-17 years. This indicator uses accelerometer data to estimate the proportion of Canadian children and youth meeting this recommendation. |
|---|---|
| Data Source | Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS), Statistics Canada |
| Population | Population aged 5 to 17 years |
| Data Available | Sex, age group (5 year, life-course), highest level of education (household), household income, immigrant status, and trend (age-standardized) |
| Estimate Calculation | Numerator: Number of children and youth aged 5 to 17 who obtained an average of 60 minutes per day or more of MVPA. Denominator: Total population, aged 5 to 17 years. Respondents aged 5 to 17 years who returned accelerometers with at least four valid days of data (3 valid days among 5 year-olds) were included in the analysis of this indicator. The Statistics Canada derived variable AMMDADK (physical activity guidelines flag for children and youth aged 5 to 17) was used to calculate this indicator in CHMS Cycle 5 and Cycle 6. For trends over time, the derived variables AMMDMVA1-AMMDMVA4 and AMMDMVA5-AMMDMVA7 (where available), were used in CHMS Cycle 4 and prior. AMMDMVAx provides the number of minutes of MVPA on a given day (x) of wear. The number of minutes of MVPA on each of the valid days was summed and the daily totals averaged. |
| Additional Remarks | This indicator changed starting in the PASS 2020 edition. With the release of the 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth, the recommendation for children to achieve 60 min daily MVPA was not changed. However, in response to the surveillance recommendations provided by Tremblay et al. (https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/apnm-2016-0151), this indicator is being operationalized differently. Specifically, this recommendation was previously operationalized as accumulating ≥ 60 minutes of MVPA on at least 6 days of the week, but starting in PASS 2020 edition it is being operationalized as achieving ≥ 60 min of MVPA per day when averaged across all valid days in a week. |
Suggested Citation
Center for Surveillance and Applied Research, Public Health Agency of Canada. Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour and Sleep (PASS) Indicators, 2023 Edition. Public Health Infobase. Ottawa (ON): Public Health Agency of Canada, 2023.