"Physical activity is not one of my priorities." "Doing physical activity would be too much strain on my time." "Do I look after myself or others?" "I do everything [around the house], cleaning and everything else. Add the stress of work to that, and at the end of the day I'm drained. Burnt out! I don't have any energy to do physical activity."

These are the kind of answers sociologist Suzanne Laberge, Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at Université de Montréal, received when she asked women to explain why they so rarely participated in even limited physical activity. "Quebec women aged 25 to 44 years fit the superwoman stereotype perfectly: their priority is other people," Prof. Laberge comments. The husband's contribution is most often limited to encouraging his wife, without actually doing housework.

According to a survey by the Quebec Secretariat for Recreation and Sports, which served as a basis for the sociological survey, Quebec women and their counterparts in the Maritime provinces are among the least active women in Canada. Moreover, a sedentary lifestyle increases with age, to the point that Kino-Québec targeted adults aged 25 to 44 years from among the various groups considered as high-priority for intervention. Whereas three out of four 15 to 24 year old women do exercise regularly, the proportion falls in the 25-44 year group, as less than 48% are involved in a physical activity at least once a week. Walking is the most popular exercise activity, followed by dancing, swimming, bicycling, gardening, skating, stationary bicycle, bowling, swimming and physical conditioning.

Socio-economic factors influence participation in physical activities. The higher a woman's education and income level, the more active she will be. Household type is also a factor: single-parent heads of households are more often sedentary. Similarly, women who have jobs are better able to incorporate sports into their timetables. The 35-44 year-old group especially worries the sociologist, because during this decade living habits are increasingly difficult to change. And health is likely to suffer. "Women put on weight at this age and no longer dare to show up in weightrooms, the playground of young hulks and goddesses." In the summary of her study, which has been distributed to CLSCs, municipal recreation agencies and physical conditioning centres in Quebec, Prof. Laberge presented a review of the literature on the benefits of physical activity for women. The statistics speak volumes: a 30% reduction in mortality for active women compared to sedentary women in Canada; active women have lower cholesterol and better lipid profile; inactive women are at 30% greater risk of high blood pressure; they also risk developing breast cancer and osteoporosis.

Researcher: Suzanne Laberge
Telephone: (514) 343-7934
Funding: Kino-Québec, Health Canada