Average Amount of Screen Time of Children by Province

Question

I'm looking for the average amount of screen time of children by province.

Any suggestions, please?

Answer

The CCHS 2007-2008 public use microdata file includes variables related to Sedentary Activities (SAC) (e.g. number of hours on a computer, playing video games, watching television/videos, etc.), age range variables and province-level variables which could be of interest to your client. Your client may wish to have a look at the survey's documentation and the description of the SAC related variables to determine if they are appropriate for his/her project.

The following Health Reports article includes Canada-level statistics on screen time of children and youth that may be of interest to your client.

Shields, Margot. Overweight and obesity among children and youth. Health Reports. vol. 17 no. 3

Abstract: "More than a quarter - 26% - of 2- to 17-year-olds were overweight or obese in 2004. Low consumption of vegetables and fruit was associated with excess weight among this age group. As screen time (watching TV, playing video games, using a computer) increased, so did the likelihood that young people would be overweight/obese." http://www.statcan.gc.ca/bsolc/olc-cel/olc-cel?lang=eng&catno=82-003-X20050039277

The following CANSIM table has provincial data on children's participation in sedentary activities by age group and sex and may also be of interest to your client:

CANSIM Table 105-2005 Children's participation in sedentary activities, in hours per week, by age group and sex, household population aged 12 to 17, Canadian Community Health Survey cycle 2.2, Canada and provinces, occasional

Data on screen time of children may also be available for a fee on a custom basis. If your client wishes to look into this option, we will refer your client to an Account-Executive who can confirm what types of tables could be produced and at what cost.

I hope that this information is helpful. If you have other questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.