Specialist or Nonspecialist Physical Education Teachers in Ontario Elementary Schools: Examining Differences in Opportunities for Physical Activity

Research supports the position that specialists are the preferred providers of physical education in elementary (primary) school settings. We examined whether specialists delivered more physical education lessons and provided greater opportunities for moderate and vigorous physical activity and whether barriers to curricular and extracurricular physical activity opportunities in Ontario elementary schools differed for specialist and nonspecialist teachers. Using a cross-sectional design, a questionnaire was mailed to key informants in 599 randomly selected elementary schools in Ontario, yielding an 85% response rate. Most physical education in Ontario elementary schools is delivered by nonspecialists (63%). No self-reported differences were found between specialists and generalist teachers in the number of physical education lessons delivered per week, the minutes per physical education class, or in the amount of reported moderate or vigorous physical activity in lessons. Compared with specialists, respondents in schools in which generalist teachers taught PE perceived lack of training as a greater barrier to delivering physical education. Given the importance of subject knowledge in teaching effectively, there is still need to advocate for specialist physical education teaching in elementary schools. However, concerns about teaching specialism may be secondary to broader and more complex factors surrounding the delivery of physical education in elementary schools.La recherche appuie le point de vue selon lequel les spécialistes sont les mieux placés pour enseigner l’éducation physique au primaire. Nous nous sommes penchés sur deux questions: (a) les spécialistes offrent-ils plus de cours d’éducation physique et d’occasions de pratiquer des activités physiques modérées ou vigoureuses ?, et (b) les obstacles à la participation aux activités physiques scolaires et extra-scolaires dans les écoles primaires de l’Ontario sont-ils les mêmes pour les enseignants spécialistes et les enseignants non-spécialistes ? Dans le contexte d’un modèle croisé, nous avons envoyé un questionnaire à des répondants clés dans 599 écoles primaires sélectionnées au hasard en Ontario. Notre taux de réponse a été de 85%. La majorité (63%) des cours d’éducation physique en Ontario sont offerts par des non spécialistes. Les résultats n’indiquent aucune différence entre les enseignants spécialistes et les enseignants non-spécialistes quant aux critères suivants: le nombre de cours d’éducation physique offerts par semaine, la durée des cours d’éducation physique et la mesure dans laquelle les cours impliquent de l’activité physique modérée ou vigoureuse. Par rapport aux répondants des écoles où les cours d’éducation physique se donnaient par des spécialistes, ceux des écoles où ces cours se donnaient par des généralistes ont indiqué que le manque de formation constituait un obstacle plus important à l’enseignement de l’éducation physique. Compte tenu du rôle important de la connaissance de la matière dans l’enseignement efficace, il faudrait continuer à promouvoir l’enseignement de l’éducation physique par des spécialistes dans les écoles primaires. Toutefois, les préoccupations portant sur l’enseignement par des spécialistes semblent secondaires face aux facteurs plus généraux et complexes en matière d’enseignement de l’éducation physique dans les écoles primaires

Prevalence of health-risk behaviours among Canadian post-secondary students: Descriptive results from the National College Health Assessment

Background: It is important to understand health-risk behaviours among young adults, as modifications in this can enhance and lessen the risk of chronic illness later in life. The purpose of the current study was to determine the prevalence of a broad range of health-risk behaviours among post-secondary students from across Canada, and to determine whether institutional variability exists in the prevalence of these behaviours. Methods. Data were collected from 8,182 undergraduate students enrolled in one of eight Canadian post-secondary institutions during the fall or spring of 2009, using the National College Health Assessment (NCHA). The NCHA consists of 60 questions, assessing student health status and engagement in various health behaviours. Results: Findings show relatively low prevalence in smoking (13.1%) marijuana (17.5%) or other illicit drug use (3.5%), and risky sexual behaviour (12%). Binge drinking, however, was much higher, with nearly 60% of students consuming more than 5 alcoholic drinks in a single occasion during the past 15 days. Similarly, prevalence rates for physical inactivity (72.2%), inadequate sleep (75.6%) and low fruit and vegetable intake (88.0%) were all high among the student population. Results also found that students in smaller institutions exhibited higher rates of inactivity, binge drinking, and marijuana and illicit drug use compared to institutions having a larger student body. Conclusion: Overall, findings point to the need for more concentrated health promotion campaigns, specifically targeting sleep, fruit and vegetables intake, and greater participation in physical activity. Given evidence of some institutional variability, future efforts are warranted in exploring how best to increase institutional commitment for collecting surveillance data on Canadian post-secondary students

Results from Canada’s 2018 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth

The majority of children and youth in Canada are not meeting the physical activity recommendation (at least 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity per day) within the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth.1 This relatively stable trend over the past decade is concerning given the negative health consequences linked to physical inactivity, particularly in adulthood.2 To better understand this concern, several indicators of child and youth physical activity are measured periodically in Canada and compiled into Canada’s Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the results of the 2018 Report Card