School

Physical education

• 72% of school administrators identify their schools as a Quality Daily Physical Education schools.^{SK Supp.}
• Manitoba is the only province/territory with mandated physical education up to grade 12. ^AHKC

Physical activity opportunities at school

• More boys than girls participate in school sports and the gap widens as grade level increases. ^AHKC
• In Saskatchewan, 74% of schools offer an intramural program and 63% have a ‘no cut’ policy for each of its interschool teams. ^{SK Supp.}

School policy

• Many schools in Canada have school-based policies relating to physical activity, but evidence of actual implementation is lacking. ^AHKC

Benefits from physical activity for students

• Extended sedentary time (including time spent sitting and time spent indoors) are associated with adverse health effects. Tremblay, 2011
  
• Regular physical activity breaks during the school day have been shown to improve cognitive performance and promote on-task classroom behaviour. Trost, 2007
  
• Regular participation in aerobic activity increases blood flow to the brain and results in better memory retention. Ratey, 2008
  
• Other benefits associated with physical activity include decreased depression and anxiety, increased academic performance, increased muscular strength and endurance and increased musculoskeletal strength. Strong et al, 2005