Poor diet, addiction to screens and a glaring lack of physical activity: the health of Quebec adolescents has deteriorated considerably over the past four decades, to the point where they form the first generation likely to live shorter lives than the previous one.
In the test It has to move!, published by Éditions de l’Homme, Pierre Lavoie and Jean-François Harvey note that young people aged 5 to 17 are so sedentary that they are heading towards an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, cancers, pulmonary diseases and diabetes adulthood. The authors invite Quebec society to take an active turn to avoid a future national health crisis.
“We just need to move. The goal is to have fun », summarizes Jean-François Harvey, met in a café in Montreal in the company of Pierre Lavoie – well-known promoter of physical activity, inventor of “energy cubes” and the Grand Défi which bears his name.
“No need to play competitive sports: just walk, dance, hike, canoe-camp or bike to school,” adds Harvey, who is a kinesiologist, osteopath and lecturer. .
Chronic sedentary
The two athletes had been thinking about writing this essay for 10 years. The pandemic gave them the impetus to take action. Lockdowns, remote schooling and the explosion of screen time have dealt a serious blow to the physical and mental health of young people. This “pandemic effect” is still being felt. But the trend had started even before the appearance of the coronavirus.
Four out of five young people do not move enough to meet the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO). Adolescents engage in sedentary behavior 85% of their waking time (in adults, it’s 70%).
Young people under the age of 18, however, need to move twice as much as adults to stay healthy — one hour per day, compared to half an hour for adults.
Pierre Lavoie and Jean-François Harvey cite a study published in 2017 by Quebec researcher Mario Leone: in 35 years, since 1982, the cardiorespiratory capacity of young people has fallen by 18% among boys and 12% among girls. These new data correspond to what is happening elsewhere in rich countries, where we have observed a decline of 4 to 5% per decade for 40 years.
“Toxic” elite sport
Faced with these grim findings, Quebec is ripe for a new strategy aimed at getting young people moving, say the authors. They took stock of best practices around the world and interviewed a series of experts.
These two athletes first recommend putting aside the requirement for “performance” – and medals – to instead promote the participation of young people. Quebec could take inspiration from Norway, where there is no ranking in sporting events before the age of 13.
Elite sports have a “toxic side”, according to the authors. They recall that swimmer Michael Phelps, considered the greatest champion in the history of the Olympic Games with his 28 medals, suffered from depression. He even thought about suicide. “After each edition of the Olympics, he plunged into the abyss and was no longer able to find his identity or his reason for living. »
The authors also discuss the scandals that rock the world of sport — gymnastics, alpine skiing, figure skating, boxing, artistic swimming, bobsleigh, etc. A host of athletes from around the world have reported sexual, physical and psychological abuse (punitive exercises, beatings, remarks about weight, shouting, humiliation, harassment, intimidation) and gross neglect (inadequate support, excessive training or despite injuries).
Sports studies to review
Secondary school sports programs, both public and private, must also be reviewed, says Pierre Lavoie. “With costs of around $5,000 per year for parents, even in the public network, these programs contribute to three-tier schools [le réseau privé, le public qui sélectionne les élèves et le public ordinaire] “, he emphasizes.
Pierre Lavoie believes that a “concentration” in sports — where young people practice several disciplines recreationally — is preferable to a sports-studies program devoted to a single elite sport. “Young people are tired of having the pressure to get on the podium. It makes them drop out of sport,” he says.
The athlete advocates inclusive programs, accessible to all young people, regardless of the thickness of their parents’ wallets. This excludes, among other things, hockey or alpine skiing programs, which cost a fortune in equipment and travel expenses.
“Elite sport does not have a significant impact on mass sport or on the physical and mental health of the population,” write the authors.
To get young people moving, Pierre Lavoie and Jean-François Harvey also recommend increasing the number of physical education classes, which is two periods per week in elementary school and two per nine-day cycle in secondary school. In several countries, physical education is considered as essential as mathematics, history and other subjects, the authors note.
They welcome the Minister of Education’s announced intention to ban phones from schools, but they believe that we must go even further to force young people to get up from their screens and go play outside. Maybe even ban all screens at school, as some countries have done.
They also recommend that parents have a good discussion with their children about the risks associated with screen abuse. And to establish screen-free periods, especially before bed and in the bedroom.