How Do You Measure Physical Activity and What Are the Current Trends in Canadian Physical Activity
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How Do You Measure Physical Activity and What Are the Current Trends in Canadian Physical Activity
Physical inactivity is a significant public health issue that not affects children but also the youth and the elderly. Fundamentally, lack of exercise is linked with increased risk of chronic diseases and infections such as hypertension and infectious diseases such as heart diseases and diabetes. Besides, inactivity can result in depression and anxiety.
When people are idle and not involved in physical activities, they tend to engage in thoughts that could easily lead to stress and hence anxiety and depression. According to W.H.O, physical inactivity contributes to a lot of deaths in the world. It is noted that inactivity is the fourth leading cause of death globally and is estimated to cause 3.2 million deaths each year (Powell, Paluch, & Blair, 2011). Various reports in Canada show that there has been a variance in the number of people who are considered active. It can be noted that due to the recent campaigns, the number of busy Canadians has been increasing over time.
From the two units, Unit 4 and Unit 5, regular physical activity leads to a decrease in the number of people who suffer from cardiovascular diseases, stress, obesity, and hypertension. As such, if people want to stay away from an illness that is caused by idleness and inactivity, it is paramount they give a lot of attention to the various reports that are being published each year (Lagerros & Lagiou, 2007). The reports contain multiple ways of keeping the body fit as well as the intervention that can be ensured to maintain a balanced healthy life.
From the various articles, one can note that while the majority have neglected work that involves physical activity, these kinds of work give the brain or the body they need health benefits. Importantly, the more the physical work is, the more significant the health benefits. The readings can also help an individual to understand whether they are sufficiently active or not. 2007 to 2009 Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) was used successfully to measure whether the Canadian were actively involved in physical activity, and it was found to be reliable and valid. Such tools and equipment that have been developed can help change every person’s way of life and achieve wellness as well as excellent health status.
According to the study conducted by Powell, Paluch, and Blair (2011), there were no health benefits for baseline activity, which suggested that being inactive is unhealthy. However, when the volume of activity exceeded the baseline 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, it was found to have a substantial health benefit (Lagerros & Lagiou, 2007). As such, activities at the high end bring a lot of benefits to the body than that at the lower end.
Physical activity influences how children respond to various environmental stimuli. It is noted that kids who are actively involved in the play and other activities have healthier brains than inactive ones. Previous studies show that there is a vital connection between the mind and the health of the body. In order for kids to reach their full potential mentally, intellectually, and emotionally is essential for them to be exposed to physical activity.
From these readings, therefore, active bodies can be associated with innovative ideas. Besides, busybodies result in bigger brains. Other reports argue that breaking a sweat in the body of a human being leads to the release of happy hormones (Katzmarzyk & Mason, 2009). When children zoom around, they develop the agility to zoom in and consequently achieve tremendous growth and development. The figure below shows a boy on the tree. A close examination of the image, the kid, is a health and is having a happy life. Such activities are known to help children develop all senses, including a sense of fear so that they can be known what is right and what is wrong.
Source: (CHEO, 2018)
Being a complex behavior exhibited by people, physical activity is a difficult thing to measure. However, scientists have developed four parameters that can be used to measure physical activity. They are type, frequency, intensity, and duration (Lagerros & Lagiou, 2007). In this case, variety encompasses the kind of physical activity an individual is engaged in, frequency describes how often one does the activity, the duration is the period between the start and end time of the activity, and lastly, intensity to describes the degree of the load involved.
Therefore, physical activity can be measured using the provided parameters. The two units are essential to me because I will be able to know when I am doing the right physical activity for the benefit of the body. Secondly, I will be able to discern the best activity for body growth and development. The concepts learned in this unit are vital because they will guide me and society at large.
References
CHEO. (2018). The 2018 ParticipAction report card on physical activity for children and youth
Katzmarzyk, P. T., & Mason, C. (2009). The physical activity transition. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 6(3), 269-280.
Lagerros, Y. T. & Lagiou, P. (2007). Assessment of physical activity and energy expenditure in epidemiological research of chronic diseases. European journal of epidemiology, 22(6), 353-362.
Powell, K. E., Paluch, A. E., & Blair, S. N. (2011). Physical activity for health: What kind? How much? How intense? On top of what?. Annual review of public health, 32, 349-365.