Canadian Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, and Sleep Surveillance Indicators

We live our days on a 24 hour cycle. Most of that time is spent in intervals of physical activity, sedentary behaviour (like sitting and screen time) and sleeping. As such, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) recognized that it needed to modernize how it monitors the physical activity levels of Canadians. So we expanded the scope of our surveillance to include all intensities of daily activity. As a result, we developed a list of key indicators that highlight the different components of daily activity and organized them in a framework called the Physical Activity, Sedentary behaviour and Sleep (PASS) Indicator Framework. Reporting on a range of indicators gives a much clearer picture of how active Canadians really are and provides Canadians and health professionals with the information needed to develop effective policies and programs for a healthy and active population.