June 11, 2007 (THUNDER BAY) - St. Thomas Aquinas School in Thunder Bay won the “Move It to Groove It” school challenge contest in the recently held Fourth Annual “Turn-Off the Screens and Get Active Challenge.” Their reward for the highest tracked participation rate of 55 percent will be an all-day dance party courtesy of Maverick Entertainment Tuesday, June 12th. Media are invited for a photo opportunity at 11:00 am.

Students and their families were challenged to turn off their television, computer and video games for a week and to find more active pursuits for their leisure time. Twenty-four schools signed up locally, representing over 6,500 students. St. Paul and Upsala Schools tied for second place with Holy Family coming in a not too distant third.

“According to the Canada Fitness Survey, Canadian children spend a minimum of 26 hours per week watching television in addition to sitting in school 25 to 30 hours per week,” explains Kathryn Halverson, Public Health Nurse at the Thunder Bay District Health Unit. “The amount of time spent playing video games by Canadian children is among the highest in the world.”

The Canadian Paediatric Society recommends that children spend no more than two hours a day watching television and playing video games per day. Excessive TV watching cuts into family time, reduces performance in school and encourages violence.

The link between television watching and other screen time and obesity in children is clear – the more they watch, the more likely they’ll be overweight. Time in front of any screen displaces healthier activities such as play and exercise, and television advertising promotes beverages, snacks and candy high in calories and low in nutrients.

Canada's Physical Activity Guides for Children and Youth recommend that children and youth be active for 90 minutes per day and reduce time spent being inactive.

“An overwhelming 1,300 participants attended the daily after-school events during the challenge. Feedback from parents was also very positive,” states Halverson. “It helped parents initiate family times that were active and memorable.”

The “Turn-Off the Screens and Get Active Challenge” is organized by the Thunder Bay District Health Unit in partnership with Take Heart Schools with the enthusiastic cooperation of school boards in the District.

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