By Richard Tardif
The 60-year-old men in Sweden will always be known to be in better shape, or at least as fit, running next to any 30-year-old Canadian man, thanks to a 15-second, grainy and badly recorded 1973 ParticipACTION television commercial shaming Canadians into thinking about their health. The commercial, which aired only six times during the 1973 Canadian Football League season, filmed two men jogging side by side on a trail, at the same pace – one a 30-year old Canadian in a dated red track suit, the other a lean 60-year old white haired Swede in dated blue.
The voice-over said: “These men are about evenly matched. That’s because the average 30-year-old Canadian is in about the same shape as the average 60-year-old Swede. Run. Walk. Cycle. Let’s get Canada moving again.”
ParticipACTION is a national non-profit organization kicked off in 1971 backed by minimal government funding, and survived on public service announcements until its operations closed in 2001, and then relaunched in 2007 after the Federal government injected $5 million into its mission. Its signature spin wheel logo on posters in schools, in malls, in magazines, and newspapers and it aired more commercials over the years, including the famous Body Break series of 90-second television quickies dedicated to informing television audiences of ways to “keep fit and have fun”.
In 2014, Canadians still can’t say they’re even. A Swede’s average of 34 minutes of daily activity in 18-to-39 year olds, outdoes the 19 minutes on average of the obese section of Canada’s population. It was unfair to compare Canadians to Swedes, culturally speaking that is – different foods, environment, and so on, nevertheless, it was a starting point and we cannot say we are healthier. Why was the Swede in better shape? Their kids had more play time than Canadian kids.
A 2015 Activity Report Card by ParticipACTION is saying nothing has changed and it’s because we guard them more than we did in the past – we’ve been overprotecting our kids for so long to keep them safe, but keeping them close and keeping them indoors. This may be setting them up to be less resilient and more likely to develop chronic diseases in the long run, and that warrants, according to the report, a D- grade.
It’s called the protection paradox, a focus on intervening in our children’s lifestyles to ensure they’re healthy, safe and happy; but it’s having the
opposite effect. According to the study, students take 35 percent more steps when physical education class is held outdoors. While physical activity injuries to children are common—from all forms of physical activity and not just risky play—the vast majority of these injuries are minor.
The report also states, “We need to give kids the freedom to occasionally scrape a knee or twist an ankle, and long-term health should be valued as much as safety.” Adults need to get out of the way and let kids play.
This study is backed up. Researchers at the University of Eastern Finland concluded that,
- We overprotect kids, trying to keep them safe from all physical dangers–which ultimately increases their likelihood of real health issues.
- We inhibit children’s academic growth…because the lack of physical activity makes it harder for them to concentrate.
- When they fail to conform quietly to this low-energy paradigm, we over-diagnose or even punish kids for reacting the way they’re naturally built to react.
The result. Overweight and obese adults.
It’s no wonder that a two-year report issued in March 0f 2016 by Canada’s Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology concluded there is an obesity crisis in this country and Canadians are paying for it with their wallets, and with their lives. Each year 48,000 to 66,000 Canadians die from conditions linked to excess weight; nearly two-thirds of adults and one-third of children are obese or overweight and obesity is costing the country between $4.6 billion and $7.1 billion annually in health care and lost productivity.
I think the same message in the 1973 ParticipACTION commercial is as important then as it is now: Let’s get Canada moving, again! see the commercial here
