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.

Explore the goals, objectives, and evaluation methods of ParticipACTION in promoting physical activity and active living among Canadians. Learn about the theoretical underpinnings, social marketing campaigns, and health communication approach used by ParticipACTION.