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Study: Sports participation among Aboriginal children

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The Daily


Tuesday, July 10, 2007
2006

Nearly two-thirds of Aboriginal children participate regularly in sports, with Métis and Inuit children most involved, according to a new study.

The study, "Aboriginal children's sport participation in Canada," which used data from Statistics Canada's 2001 Aboriginal Peoples Survey, was published in July 2007 in the journal Pimatisiwin: A Journal of Aboriginal and Indigenous Community Health, special issue on sport, recreation, and physical activity.

The study found that 65% of Aboriginal children aged 14 and under played sports outside school hours at least once a week, a rate similar to that of Canadian children in general.

Aboriginal boys were more likely to participate than girls, while children aged 5 to 11 were more active than younger or older children. Participation in sports was less common for both adolescent boys and girls.

Métis and Inuit children have higher rates of sports participation than either First Nations children or those who identified themselves as both First Nations and Métis. Among First Nations children, those living off-reserve had higher rates of participation than those living on-reserve. Otherwise, where children lived had little relevance, as the results showed no differences in sport participation between Aboriginal children who lived in urban, rural and Arctic regions.

Aboriginal children who participated in sports came from higher-income families and had parents with higher levels of education than did children who did not participate. Children were also more likely to participate if they lived with both parents and had fewer siblings.

Sports participants tended to watch fewer hours of television than non-participants, the study found. However, participants also spent more time playing video games than did non-participants.

The study discusses these findings as well as their implications for programs aimed at increasing sport participation in Aboriginal children.

The study "Aboriginal children's sport participation in Canada", published in July 2007 in Pimatisiwin: A Journal of Aboriginal and Indigenous Community Health, will be available soon in English only. To obtain a copy, consult the website (www.pimatisiwin.com).

For more information or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this survey, contact Leanne Findlay (613-951-4648; leanne.findlay@statcan.gc.ca), Health Analysis and Measurement Group.