ParticipACTION: Goals, Objectives, and Evaluation

Background of ParticipACTION

• The national debate and focus on physical activity promotion in Canada was sparked by Bill C-131, an act to promote fitness and amateur sport.
• This led to the creation of ParticipACTION, originally called Sport Participation Canada, with Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper as its first leader.

Early Years of ParticipACTION

• The major goal of early ParticipACTION campaigns was to promote physical activity and fitness to Canadians.
• The focus of the campaigns in the 1980s was on social marketing and advocacy for physical activity.

Closure and Revival

• ParticipACTION closed its doors in 2001, but was revived in 2007 and played a significant role in the Canadian health promotion scene.

Shift in Focus

• The shift in focus from early to later ParticipACTION campaigns was from promoting physical activity to promoting social connection and community engagement.
• Canadians were described as 'intellectually committed' to the ParticipACTION brand in the 1970s, suggesting a strong affinity for the brand.

Goals and Approach

• One of the main goals of ParticipACTION is to promote physical activity and fitness among Canadians.
• ParticipACTION primarily aims to achieve its goals through social marketing and community-based campaigns.

150 Play List Campaign

• The 150 Play List campaign aimed to promote physical activity and engaged Canadians through a list of 150 physical activities.
• The campaign had a significant impact, with participants reporting increased physical activity and sport-related behavior.
• Evaluation of community-based campaign components was challenging due to the complexity of measuring engagement and behavior change.

Uniqueness of ParticipACTION

• ParticipACTION sets itself apart from other public health campaigns by focusing on promoting physical activity and fitness in a fun and engaging way.

Research and Impact

• Research suggests that the 150 Play List campaign will have a lasting impact on physical activity levels in Canada.
• One of the main outcomes of the population-level evaluation of ParticipACTION’s 150 Play List campaign was an increase in physical activity and sport-related behavior.
• Those who were more likely to participate in the 150 Play List campaign were individuals who were already interested in physical activity.
• A survey conducted by Berry et al. (2020) measured awareness, engagement, and behavior change in relation to the 150 Play List campaign.
• Bauman et al. (2004) suggest that the success of ParticipACTION can be judged by its ability to promote physical activity, social connection, and community engagement.

Challenges and Future Research

• A highlighted challenge in evaluating community-based campaign components is measuring engagement and behavior change.
• Further research is required to understand the long-term impact of ParticipACTION and its campaigns.
• A limitation of the LiveGauge sensor approach to measuring engagement at events is its inability to capture complex behavior change.