News

Screen time up, playtime down as Canadian kids earn 'F' on activity report card

TORONTO - Too many Canadian kids, including tots under the age of five, are spending too much time glued to TV, computers and video games and it'll take a concerted effort by parents, caregivers and others to get them moving more, say health experts and advocates.

Their concerns were expressed Tuesday following the release of a report showing that most Canadian children aren't meeting recommended physical activity guidelines.

The University of Waterloo is to award 16 honorary degrees at spring convocation. Amongst the 16 recipients is Monique Bégin, a former federal politician and architect of Canada's health care act.

A keen supporter of public health, Bégin played a key role as health minister in drafting the 1984 Canada Health Act, which enshrined five core principles into the health care system: universality, comprehensiveness, portability, accessibility and public administration

See media release

After years of collecting, Professor Elliot Avedon’s mass archive of gaming pieces will be transferred from the University of Waterloo to the Canadian Museum of Civilization. The collection first started as a teaching aide and grew over time into a mass collection of over 5,000 objects and related documentation.

See news release

Perth County like many other areas are trying to expand and capitalize on culinary tourism, which has exploded in recent times. Stephen Smith of Waterloo’s department of recreation and leisure studies explains simple steps that can be used to help attract consumers.

See article in the Beacon Herald

The Partnerships in Dementia Care (PiDC) Alliance, co-led by Sherry Dupuis, Director, Kenneth G. Murray Alzheimer Research and Education Program – MAREP brings together researchers from five universities and 50 partners at the regional, provincial, and national levels representing all key stakeholder groups in dementia care.

After three decades of figuring how out the spine works, Stuart McGill has come to loathe sit-ups. It doesn’t matter whether they are the full sit-ups beloved by military trainers or the crunch versions so ubiquitous in gyms. “What happens when you perform a sit-up?” he asks. “The spine is flexed into the position at which it damages sooner.”

See article in Macleans.

The Schlegel-University of Waterloo Research Institute for Aging (RIA) has won an innovator's award from the International Council on Active Aging for adapting a ground-breaking program in order to encourage senior citizens to become more active.