Monday February 6th, 2006
Concurrent Sessions A: 11:00am - 12:30pm
A1
Community Physical Activity Advisory Program
The Community Physical Activity Advisor (CPAA) Program is a new initiative, developed by YWCA Hamilton, Public Health & Community Services, and North Hamilton Community Health Centre, all partners of the Healthy Living Hamilton Coalition. Funded by the coalition, this program is the first of its kind, training peer, volunteer leaders to provide physical activity messages to inactive and not-active-enough individuals through workshops/presentations, energizers, and at health fairs throughout the community.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to: describe the purpose/mandate/function of the CPAA/CPAA program and identify the strengths of the program and opportunities to utilize the concept within his/her community.
A2
Have a ball! A Toolkit For Physical Activity and the Early Years
This livery interactive session will provide participants with information and knowledge about the importance of physical activity for young children. Workshop leaders will walk you through the contents of a handy new Toolkit; run through some featured facts, stats, and resources; and jump into a practical demonstration of great ideas to help get young children up and moving.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to: Have a ball! Better understand the relevance of physical activity to the early years. Recommend tools and resources and demonstrate active ideas.
A3
Running through your mind: the potential role of physical exercise in dealing with mental health & addiction issues
Apart from impacting positively upon the psychological well being of the general population, physical exercise has the potential to improve the status of psychiatric populations as well as those struggling with substance misuse. This session will explore its potential in each of these three domains, drawing upon this researcher’s involvement within related research and his own personal experiences as both a ‘patient’ and competitive ‘athlete’.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to: appreciate the potential role of exercise in the content of mental health and addiction issues and understand some of the main research findings and gaps in the area.
A4
Building Inclusive Organizations
This session will draw on the Ontario Healthy Communities Coalition’s “Creating Inclusive Organizations” ToolKit and participatory action research project to provide a framework for developing more diverse and inclusive programs and services. Participants will also be given the opportunity to share their own experiences and learn from one another.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to: Understand the important and benefits of becoming and inclusive. Use a framework for developing inclusive programs and services and draw on concrete examples that have done so.
Monday February 6th, 2006.
Concurrent Sessions B: 2:30pm - 4:00pm
B1
Ontario Trails
The Ontario Trails Council is working with 20 Health Units/Active Living/Heart Health Programs - in the creation and co-implementation of trails - health promotional events during May 28-June 3, 2006. The co-ordination, theme design and development, event planning and promotional materials design and need will be discussed.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to: Get better connected to trails. Plan for additional community events, plan for 2007.
B2
Active Living During Pregnancy and Post-Partum
This session will discuss the current Canadian guidelines for exercise during pregnancy and post-partum (PARmed-X for Pregnancy;www.csep.ca). The importance of physical activity among women of childbearing age will also be discussed as physical inactivity during pregnancy and post-partum may be one potential pathway for obesity development by excessive pregnancy weight gain and post partum weight retention. Promotion of active living and how to overcome potential barriers to physical activity during this time period will also be discussed.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to: help and promote pregnant and post partum women to exercise safely and be more active by using the Canadian guidelines.
B3
From ads to action: a childhood healthy weights communication campaign promoting physical activity, healthy eating and self esteem.
The early years are the time of greatest human development and a time when adults have the most profound influence on a child’s well being. Supporting healthy child development through encouraging a healthy feeding relationship, physical activity and a positive self-esteem is one way to promote the health of our society “Your Kids are Listening” is a campaign to raise awareness of the critical role parents and caregivers play in forming and shaping children’s attitudes about themselves and the choices they make regarding healthy eating and physical activity. In addition, it encourages parents and caregivers to make simple changes to support children to feel good, be active and eat healthy.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to: integrate campaign materials into the work they do in their communities.
B4
Working with Multicultural Groups
The Multicultural Health Coalition is a group community association representing a variety of ethnic communities, in partnership with Ottawa Public Health. This session will describe the different approaches and methods used to promote physical activity by addressing language, as well as cultural and economic barriers.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to: increase their outreach to ethno-cultural communities and make use of resources developed by Ottawa Public Health.
B5
"Food" and other methods to get people to the table - A practise in community engagement
This session includes a brief description of the London Sports Council, a history of Active 2010 in London, a summary of some of the obstacles the project has encountered, methods used to educate stakeholders about the project and engaging stakeholders as steering community members.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to: walk away with strategies pertinent to identifying stakeholders and 'setting' your project for community support.
Tuesday February 7th, 2006.
Research Panel Discussion: 10:30am - 12:00pm
Physical Activity Promotion: Population Health Approaches and Challenges
Dr. Ron Plotnikoff, University of Alberta, PAPH Research Lab
This presentation outlines the need for a population health approach in the promotion of physical activity. The importance of theoretically-driven and evidence-based, practical strategies across various population-based settings (i.e., clinics, schools, workplaces, communities) integrating multiple levels (i.e., individual, social, organizational, community, policy, physical environments) are show-cased. Related issues and challenges are presented.
By the end of the session, participants will be able to: understand key issues related to physical activity promotion and population health.
Mechanization, Automation, Digitization: "How our changing world is changing us"
Dr. Mark Tremblay, College of Kinesiology, University of Saskatchewan
This session will examine the factors in society that contribute to childhood physical activity and inactivity. A particular emphasis will be placed on the importance of non-institutionalized, lifestyle-embedded physical activity and an increased appreciation for the fundamental laws of health. Non-traditional approaches to increasing physical activity and decreasing physical inactivity will be presented and discussed.
By the end of the session, participants will be able to: Appreciate that all forms of movement contribute to the pubic health benefits of physical activity.
Health-evidence.ca: Assisting you in Evidence-Based Physical Activity Promotion Among Children and Youth
Ms. Paula Robeson, City of Hamilton & health-evidence.ca
This abstract focuses on the lessons learned in the knowledge broker component of a randomized controlled trial involving three intervention groups with access to www.health-evidence.ca , a registry of more than 500 reviews, which launched in March 2005. The registry can save you valuable time and effort since all articles have been located, screened for relevance, and quality assessed to facilitate evidence-based decision-making. Participants in one of the groups also had access to a knowledge broker (KB) who worked closely with them to enhance the adoption and implementation of evidence related to the promotion of physical activity and body weights into their local programs and policies.
The presentation will provide;
- Access to www.health-evidence.ca, a free, searchable online registry of public health review evidence.
- An overview of the evidence from the 7 study-related systematic reviews.
-A description of the KB role, its evolution throughout the study and the lessons learned, challenges encountered and successes experienced.
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
- Use www.health-evidence.ca to access evidence, in easy to use formats, related to physical activity promotion as well as other public health, population health, and health promotion issues.
- Understand the evidence from seven high quality systemic reviews related to physical activity promotion in children and youth.
- Discuss the role of KBs in promoting evidence-based decision making in physical activity programs and policies.
Tuesday February 7th, 2006.
Concurrent Sessions C: 1:30pm - 3:00pm
C2
Go for Green (Outdoor activity that is part of our daily lives)
Community development and land use patterns have reduced opportunities to integrate physical activity into daily life, such as walking to the store or informal sports. The health of future generations is dependant on the opportunities made available in their environment. We can be instrumental within our jobs and institutions in realizing an active transportation environment in the future. Children need physical activity to be part of their daily lives and part of their community’s culture Go for Green has programs/initiatives that encourage as well as support these aims and attacks those issues.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to: Assist communities in taking the first steps in creating an environment and culture that embraces physical activity in their planning, programming and infrastructure development.
C3
Leaders in Youth Friendly Community and Physical Activity:
There are some shining examples of leadership in Ontario and this session will highlight a few of these. Youth Friendly Communities is an initiative of Play Works, the partnership working to get youth 'play' on the public and political agenda. In 2005, 9 Ontario communities were awarded youth friendly status - in terms of their work in providing lots of opportunities for youth play - and good practices, of what helped those communities become youth friendly, will be presented. Additionally, examples of what some individual leaders are doing in their community to promote and support physical activity will be shared in learnings from the Physical Activity Leaders (PAL) program. PALs come from recreation, community agency, municipal, and health backgrounds, so there are a myriad of diverse stories to tell from this group.
C4
Physical Activity Promotion in the Workplace
This workshop will overview the effectiveness of workplace physical activity programs. An ecological framework which addresses both individual- and environmental-level issues will be outlined. The recently published Workplace Physical Activity Program Standard and Audit Tool developed by the presenter and his colleagues will be presented. The session will conclude with a problem-based scenario to operationalize the above information.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to: gain knowledge to design and evaluate physical activity programs in the workplace.