Saskatoon to study link between play and weather

Theres a big difference between what we think we know, and what we can actually prove, especially when it comes to government policyand the fight against childhood obesity.

With the return of the school year, so begins another chapter in the on-going Smart Cities Healthy Kids initiative in Saskatoon.

This time around, researchers want to know not only where kids are being active, but also how different types of weather affects their levels of play.

"It is very relevant for Saskatoon and generally for Canada being a northern country, said researcher and epidemiologist Dr. Nazeem Muhajarine.

Study involves 800 children

Over the next year children in grades 5-8 across the city will be asked to log their level of activity and wear a device that measures their activityfor one week, in four different seasons.

The concern is that children are far less active when the cold weather hits. Still, Muhajarine is keeping an open mind and is waiting for the data to provide answers.

"We think that things happen in a certain way and common sense would say this is how things happen but sometimes there are surprises."

Having solid data is important. The findings of Smart Cities Healthy Kids are presented to the city, and are meant to shape policy in a way that will encourage physical activity.