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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCSD-06-06 ClJJ!pn REPORT COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT Meeting: General Purpose and Administration Committee Date: May 8, 2006 Resolution #: 6 fA - ~GU-D 6 Report #: CSD-06-06 File #: By-law #: Subject: FAMILY AND YOUTH FITNESS Recommendations: It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administration Committee recommend to Council the following: 1. THAT Report CSD-06-06 be received; and 2. THAT Council authorize staff to develop a revenue-neutral youth fitness program as outlined in this report, to be introduced during the fall of 2006. Submitted by: eph P. Caruana, rector of Community Services Reviewed bO~- ~ Franklin Wu, Chief Administrative Officer JPC/EM/jm CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON 40 TEMPERANCE STREET, BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO L 1C 3A6 T (905)623-3379 F (905)623-5506 ~ REPORT NO.: CSD-06-06 PAGE 2 1.0 BACKGROUND 1.1 On February 27, 2006, Lisa Corkery appeared before Council to request the minimum age of participation at the Courtice Community Fitness Centre be lowered from 13 to 7. She noted that working out at the Complex and the encouragement she received from the fitness trainers have helped her change her life. Ms. Corkery is requesting this change to help stop obesity in children. 1.2 Council resolved through Resolution # C-1 02-06 that the delegation of Lisa Corkery be referred to the Director of Community Services for preparation of a report to be submitted to the General Purpose and Administration Committee. 1.3 Physical inactivity represents a significant health burden in Canada. According to studies by the Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute, more than half of Canada's children and youth are not active enough for healthy growth and development. 1.4 While the number of overweight Canadian children has stabilized recently, the rates of child and youth obesity are still high. In 1981,10.6% of Canadian boys and 13.1 % of Canadian girls were overweight or obese. According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, this number more than doubled in 2000/2001 to 29% of boys and 27% of girls. 1.5 Childhood and adolescence are critical times for developing habits that include incorporating lifelong physical activity. While formation of these healthy lifestyle habits should occur primarily in the home, there is a definite need for support for families through their community and schools. 1.6 As a community, the Municipality of Clarington offers a variety of programs to children and youth in the promotion of physical activity, such as FIT Club, swimming, youth floor hockey, basketball drop-in and Sportball. Even still, there is an opportunity to expand on the services we offer in the promotion of health and wellness to children, youth and their families in the community. This report will address issues in providing fitness services to young children and their family through recommending a fitness program to meet these needs. 1.7 In her delegation, Ms. Corkery requested a drop in the age limit at the Courtice Fitness Facility from 13 years of age to 7. Currently, the minimum age for a youth to join the fitness facility without any conditions is 15 years of age. Through Report CSD-13-05, Council approved a program called Teen Fit Club, in which participants 13 to 17 years of age participate in a 12-week program which provides instruction in proper workout techniques, fitness facility etiquette and leading a healthy lifestyle. Upon successful completion, the younger participants (13 and 14 year olds) may purchase a membership to the Courtice Fitness Facility. Successful participation in the Teen Fit Club program is the REPORT NO.: CSD-06-06 PAGE 3 only way a youth 13 to 14 may join the fitness facility in an unsupervised manner. 1.8 Through further discussion with Ms. Corkery, the following factors are important to her for inclusion in any recommended program: . Accessible (low-cost/accessible cost) . 1 hour/day, 5 days/week . Circuit training which includes cardio, strength training, nutrition counselling . Family affair - involve family members (parents/guardians/grandparents) . At the Fitness Facility because the gym is open year round (during inclement weather when the kids can not get outside to play) . Networking opportunity for families to meet up with other parents and children in similar situations 1.9 Upon reviewing Ms. Corkery's request to lower the age limit of the facility to 7 years of age, the following information was taken into account: . Advice from the Durham Municipal Insurance Pool . Common practices of GTA municipal fitness facilities . Recommendations from the Ontario Association for Sports and Exercise Sciences (OASES) and the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology . Advice from our equipment supplier . Published scientific research 1.10 Our insurers recommended the following with respect to youth fitness programming in our fitness facility: . Parents need to be informed and give permission (through an informed consent form which explains the elements of risk the activity entails. The information on the consent form would have to be explained to the parents and the child on a regular basis to ensure it is properly understood). . As important would be the level of supervision. An increased level of 1 instructor: 3 or 4 children was recommended. Direct parent participation would be beneficial or potentially mandatory. . Maintenance procedures and documentation would become even more important if there were an insurance claim. 1.11 Municipal fitness facilities in the Greater Toronto Area were surveyed and most facilities offer organized group fitness classes to youth. The age ranges vary from 6 to 13 years of age. The programs that are offered are primarily active classes such as child boxercise, child yoga, and other active programs in a room separate from the gym floor. No municipal facility currently offers any programming dealing with nutrition and family support for parents with obese children. REPORT NO.: CSD-06-06 PAGE 4 1.12 All municipal facilities that responded to the survey did not allow youth under 13 years of age to use the fitness equipment on the gym floor for various reasons including: . The equipment is sized for an adult and height adjustments could not safely accommodate the younger age groups in most cases . Adults would not be interested in sharing space with kids that young . Feeling that children should be active and playing outside . Feeling that children of this age group are too young to be left unsupervised in the fitness room. Some even believe that parental supervision is not enough as some parents may not be aware of the child's physiological limitations . Some facilities would refer the family to a medically supervised program, should one exist . Some municipalities had previously offered fitness programs for children, however, due to low registration/demand, programs were cancelled 1.13 The Ontario Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences felt that parents should be providing consent and be aware of the activities that the children are performing. OASES also felt the Municipality should be made aware of any health concerns of the children as it relates to participating in physical activity. The Canadian Society of Exercise Physiology felt that the question should be deferred to our insurance underwriters. 1.14 The supplier of our fitness equipment felt that stronger considerations than age with respect to the design of our equipment are the height limitations. The supplier advised that our cardio bikes are designed to accommodate a height of 4' 11 "; there are no height restrictions on treadmills. 1.15 The supplier's other main concern was the maturity and judgement of the children to use the equipment properly. For example, a child being unaware of their capabilities and overexerting themselves on the equipment could result in injury. 1.16 While reviewing published research that addresses youth fitness, the following was noted: . The American Council of Exercise (ACE) states that "When it comes to fitness, kids are not miniature adults. They have specific physiological differences that make them unique. Therefore, their fitness programs and activities must be specific to their developmental stage and not just a watered down version of an adult's." . Parent involvement is key. In households where the parents were active, 95% of the children in those households were active as well. REPORT NO.: CSD-06-06 PAGE 5 The type of fitness programming recommended for children by the research included: . Successful, fun activity and fitness options . Wide range of fitness and movement activities . Activities based on what children enjoy Equally important, as stated in the research, are things that should be avoided: . Activities selected by the parents (i.e. the children need to choose) . Long duration, high intensity activities 1.17 In the area of resistance (strength) training, the American Association of Paediatrics recommends introducing resistance training to youth 10 to 12 years of age through low weight dumbbells, resistance bands. It is recommended that children use lower weights and higher repetitions, and only as long as the activity is highly supervised by a qualified professional. The focus of the resistance training should be on overall strength improvements, functional exercise, balance and flexibility and set in a supportive, fun environment. 2.0 COMMENTS 2.1 Upon review of the recommendations outlined above, the Community Services Department does not recommend a decrease in the age limit of the Fitness Facility to 7 years of age as there is increased supervision issues involved with maintaining an adequate level of safety. However, we do recognize the need for child fitness and wellness programming and do recommend a structured program to be offered to children and a participating parent(s)/guardian/ grandparent. 2.2 This program would be developed and offered in 3 1-hour sessions per week for a 12 week period (total 36 hours) to children 7 to 12 years of age accompanied by one participating parent/guardian. The four program components include (the number in brackets indicates the number of program hours allotted per program component): . Nutrition and Healthy Eating, according to Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating (12-18 hours) . Physical Activity, through individual and cooperative games and activities in the aerobics studio and possibly on the gym floor using the cardio equipment, as appropriate. Physical Activity will be comprised of: Cardiovascular conditioning (6-9 hours) through games and fun activities, etc. Muscular conditioning (6-9 hours) using body weight, circuits, light dumbbells, etc. Flexibility (6 hours) through yoga, stretching, etc. REPORT NO.: CSD-06-06 PAGE 6 2.3 The program will offer support for parents and children in the following ways: · by introducing activities they can participate in with their child at home · by introducing parents to various support groups, services and resources in their community . by introducing them to others in similar situations in their community 2.4 The program would be offered in 3 1-hour sessions per week. Participants will receive a 12-visit pass that will allow them access to 12 different sessions over the 12 week period (total: 12 hours). This allows flexibility for families to attend whichever session is convenient for them that week, as well as, allowing patrons to mix and match topics and activities. If participants would like to attend more frequently, they may purchase additional 12-visit passes. Each one hour session will include: . 10-20 minutes of nutrition information and discussion . 10 minutes of flexibility activities . 30-40 minutes of cardiovascular conditioning and muscular conditioning 2.5 The program content will be developed using such resources as: . Fat Off Nutrition Workbook . Fit Club Manual . Healthy Eating Manual - Ministry of Health . Heart Healthy Kids - Heart and Stroke Foundation . Walk this Way - Durham Region Health Department . Activities from the Dairy Farmers of Canada . Fit Kids Handbook - American Council on Exercise and the State of California Department of Education . Get Fit and Be Active: A Handbook for Youths Ages 6-17 - President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, US Department of Health and Human Services . Youth Fitness: ACE Group Fitness Specialty Series - American Council on Exercise 2.6 Due to the preparation required to develop a quality program, this family/child youth fitness program is recommended to be offered commencing in the Fall session of 2006 (September). 3.0 FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS 3.1 The cost of the 12-visit pass would be $40.00 for children (7-12 years of age) and $50.00 for adults (18 years and up). Participating adults who have a current fitness membership will be able to participate free of charge. Children and adults participating more than one time a week in the same session will be entitled to a 25% discount off each subsequent 12-visit pass. REPORT NO.: CSD-06-06 PAGE 7 3.2 Children (7-12 years of age) must register with a participating adult (18 years of age and up). Consequently, adults must register with a participating child. 3.3 The instructor cost to offer this 12 week program is $906.58 (36 hours X $25.18). As a minimum to ensure a revenue-neutral or revenue-generating position, the program would require 11 full paying youth and 11 full paying adults to purchase a 12-visit pass each 12 week session (11 X $40.00 = $440.00 plus 11 X $50.00 = $550.00 = Total of $990.00). Should the minimum numbers not be met, every attempt to offer the program will be made. For example, the number of class times could be reduced to offset the lower registration numbers. 4.0 CONCLUSION 4.1 This program format was reviewed with Ms. Corkery on April 28, 2006 and verbally she demonstrated approval and agreement with the program. She is very excited to see the Municipality of Clarington moving forward on this issue. 4.2 Through this exciting initiative, the Department looks forward to encouraging more young people to lead healthy lifestyles, while supporting their parents/guardians along the way. Interested parties to be advised of Council's decision: Ms. Lisa Corkery