Leveling the Playing Field: Translating Physical Activity Knowledge and Messaging for Equity-Deserving Groups

Participating in recommended levels of physical activity is linked to many positive health benefits in children and youth. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the physical activity and sedentary behaviours of this young population. Worst still, children and youth from equity deserving groups (e.g., particular groups or communities that identify barriers to participating in society such as, girls, newcomers to Canada, and children with disabilities) were unevenly impacted by COVID-19 in terms of physical activity and sport participation, access, and opportunities.While what we know about children's physical activity levels continues to grow, less is known about how this knowledge is shared with public health professionals and community stakeholders best positioned to do something with the findings; and this is particularly true among equity-deserving groups. Team efforts are required to ensure materials are tailored and customized to equity-deserving groups to maximize impact. As such, this grant aims to organize a group of national experts, stakeholders (including individuals with lived experiences), and marketing and communications specialists to develop a suite of materials and products that can be used to help share key findings from the 2022 ParticipACTION Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth and provide tips and tricks for encouraging and supporting healthy behaviours in children, including equity-deserving groups. This grant provides an opportunity for a timely and unique collaboration between research, public health, and health marketing/communication experts, in collaboration with community stakeholders, to improve physical activity among children and youth in Canada, with the focused inclusion and application of an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) lens. The proposed activities will amplify the impact of the 2022 ParticipACTION Report Card to stakeholders and members of equity-deserving groups.