Physical activity: moving commuters as much as the urban

Some myths die hard. That, for example, that the inhabitants of the suburbs are less physically active than urban dwellers, because they jumped in their car when they need to go shopping or go to work. A recent Statistics Canada report1 nuance that perception. The study is drawn from the General Social Survey (GSS) in 2005 which assesses the daily schedule of Canadians aged 15 and older. To go about their daily business, it is true that against the inhabitants of the suburbs are more likely to take their car. In 2005, only 14% of residents of suburban Canadian market or cycled during a day of reference to move utility, for 28 minutes on average. In large cities, 30% of people walked or been cycling for 35 minutes. Gardening and outdoor work The picture is however different when we look at the side of other physical activities such as gardening, grounds maintenance or cleaning outside the house. In 2005, 12% of suburban residents were likely to engage in these activities during the day, for 15 minutes on average. In neighborhoods with a high density, the percentage dropped to 5%, and duration fell to 6 minutes. No significant difference between the two groups was found with regard to participation in sports and other recreational activities. About one in four people involved in such activities. Finally, the proportion of individuals who have 20 or more minutes of physical activity during the day was not higher in areas with high density residential (urban) than in low density (suburban).