Exercising has been crucial to maintaining mental and physical health throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. However, not everyone can be equally active. Women are generally less active than men and this disparity between genders in exercise participation furthers gender inequality in health.

Today in The Conversation Canada, Chloe Sher and Caroline Fusco from the University of Toronto highlight new research that may surprise you: People have become more active overall since the onset of the pandemic. However, despite this increase in activity, the gaps in exercise have been widening between gender, income, race and education.

Some people have had to continue working during the pandemic (as essential and frontline workers) and are exhausted by the demands of their jobs. Whether people have been able to remain physically active these past 12 months, depends on their backgrounds and circumstances.

Also today:

Regards,

Haley Lewis

Culture + Society Editor
World Day for Physical Activity is April 6. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, many peoples’ physical exercise routines have been disrupted. (Shutterstock)

A year into the pandemic, COVID-19 exercise slump has hit women harder

Chloe Sher, University of Toronto; Caroline Fusco, University of Toronto

Research shows that the gaps in physical exercise have widened substantially between men and women, whites and non-whites, rich and poor and educated and less educated: especially during the pandemic.
Police in riot gear line up against protesters during clashes in Kenosha, Wis., in August 2020 following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, two days earlier. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Defund the police? Instead, end toxic masculinity and ‘warrior cops’

Angela Workman-Stark, Athabasca University

We need to clarify the role of the police, to promote a more justice-oriented style of police leadership and to put in place long-term mechanisms of accountability to support and sustain change.
The need for donated organs can be addressed using a novel 3D-printing technique. (Shutterstock)

3D-printed organs could save lives by addressing the transplant shortage

Saman Naghieh, University of Saskatchewan

Printing organs could reduce the need for human donor organs. And 3D printed organs using a patient's own cells would increase successful organ transplants by reducing the risk of rejection.
The shift online demonstrated the convenience of distance learning and has convinced some learners, including workers and unemployed people, to study. (Pexels/rfstudio)

How the COVID-19 pandemic may have changed university teaching and testing for good

Eric Champagne, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa; Aracelly Denise Granja, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa

The forced transition to online university learning will mean teaching practices will be permanently changed.

La Conversation Canada
Vue d'une aciérie à Hamilton, en bordure du lac Ontario. Depuis plus de 20 ans, le Canada a systématiquement raté ses objectifs climatiques de réduction de gaz à effet de serre. C’est le seul pays du G7 où les émissions ont augmenté depuis 2010. Shutterstock

Projet de loi C-12 : le Canada doit s’inspirer des meilleures pratiques pour atteindre ses objectifs climatiques

Normand Mousseau, Université de Montréal; Corinne Le Quéré, University of East Anglia

Les mesures prévues dans la loi C-12 vont dans la bonne direction, mais elles demeurent insuffisantes si le Canada veut passer à une économie décarbonée. Il doit s’inspirer des meilleures pratiques.
On a associé l’équivalent d’une tranche de bacon à une augmentation de 44 % du risque de démence. Shutterstock

Démence : la viande transformée est-elle un facteur de risque ?

Richard Hoffman, University of Hertfordshire

Une consommation élevée de viandes hautement transformées peut simplement être représentative d’un mode de vie moins sain dans l’ensemble, ce qui augmente les risques d’Alzheimer.

Health

COVID-19

  • New COVID variants have changed the game, and vaccines will not be enough. We need global ‘maximum suppression’

    Susan Michie, UCL; Chris Bullen, University of Auckland; Jeffrey V Lazarus, Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal); John N. Lavis, McMaster University; John Thwaites, Monash University; Liam Smith, Monash University; Salim Abdool Karim, Centre for the AIDS Program of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA); Yanis Ben Amor, Columbia University

    COVID-19 variants of concern have changed the game. We need to recognise and act on this to avoid future waves of infections, yet more lockdowns and restrictions, and avoidable illness and death.

Environment + Energy