Canadian Physical Activity and Screen Time Guidelines: Do Children Know?

Objective: Few people are aware of current physical activity (PA), or screen time (ST) guidelines. No study has examined children's awareness. This study examined guideline awareness among Canadian children. Methods: Children (N = 1010, 55% girls) were asked to identify PA and ST guidelines. Behavior also was measured by accelerometry in a subsample of children (N = 223, 61.9% girls). Results: Overall, children knew PA guidelines (71.6%), but not ST guidelines (20.0%). In adjusted models, children's guidelines knowledge did not differ by activity level but showed significant associations between PA, ST, and self-perceptions of PA. Conclusions: Regardless of activity level, children correctly identified current PA guidelines but not ST guidelines. It may be beneficial to create public health policies or interventions to improve guideline awareness.