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Active Canada 20/20: A physical activity plan for Canada

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Abstract

Physical inactivity is a pressing public health concern. In this commentary we argue that Canada’s approach to increasing physical activity (PA) has been fragmented and has lacked coordination, funding and a strategic approach. We then describe a potential solution in Active Canada 20/20 (AC 20/20), which provides both a national plan and a commitment to action from non-government and public sectors with a view to engaging corporate Canada and the general public. It outlines a road map for initiating, coordinating and implementing proactive initiatives to address this prominent health risk factor. The identified actions are based on the best available evidence and have been endorsed by the majority of representatives in the relevant sectors. The next crucial steps are to engage all those involved in public health promotion, service provision and advocacy at the municipal, provincial and national levels in order to incorporate AC 20/20 principles into practice and planning and thus increase the PA level of every person in Canada. Further, governments, as well as the private, not-for-profit and philanthropic sectors, should demonstrate leadership and continue their efforts toward providing the substantial and sustained resources needed to recalibrate Canadians’ habitual PA patterns; this will ultimately improve the overall health of our citizens.

Résumé

La sédentarité est un grave problème de santé publique. Dans notre commentaire, nous faisons valoir que l’approche du Canada pour accroître l’activité physique est morcelée et souffre d’un manque de coordination, de financement et de stratégie. Nous décrivons ensuite une solution possible, Canada Actif 20/20 (CA 20/20), qui offre à la fois un plan national et un engagement à agir de la part des secteurs non gouvernemental et public en vue d’interpeller les entreprises et le grand public du Canada. CA 20/20 propose une feuille de route pour lancer, coordonner et mettre en oeuvre des initiatives d’amont pour aborder cet important facteur de risque pour la santé. Les mesures à prendre sont fondées sur les meilleures preuves disponibles et ont été avalisées par la majorité des représentants des secteurs pertinents. Les prochaines étapes décisives sont de collaborer avec toutes les personnes intervenant dans la promotion de la santé publique, la prestation de services et l’action sociale à l’échelle municipale, provinciale et nationale afin d’intégrer les principes de CA 20/20 dans la pratique et la planification et augmenter ainsi les niveaux d’activité physique de chaque personne au Canada. De plus, les gouvernements, le secteur privé et les secteurs sans but lucratif et philanthropique devraient faire preuve de leadership et poursuivre leurs efforts pour offrir les ressources importantes et soutenues dont on a besoin pour réorienter les habitudes d’activité physique des Canadiens; ceci devrait en bout de ligne améliorer la santé globale de nos citoyens.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sedentary Living Lab, Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, University of Alberta, 3-113 Van Vliet Complex, AB, T6G 2H9, Canada, Edmonton

    John C. Spence PhD

  2. School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Guy Faulkner PhD

  3. ParticipACTION, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Christa Costas Bradstreet MA

  4. Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Mary Duggan CAE

  5. Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Mark S. Tremblay PhD

Authors
  1. John C. Spence PhD
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  2. Guy Faulkner PhD
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  3. Christa Costas Bradstreet MA
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  4. Mary Duggan CAE
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  5. Mark S. Tremblay PhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to John C. Spence PhD.

Additional information

Acknowledgements: G. Faulkner holds a CIHR-PHAC Chair in Applied Public Health. Stephen Grundy of LifeUnplugged, Inc. was a project consultant on the development of Active Canada 20/20. Also, ParticipACTION is recognized for important leadership throughout the process, and the members of the ParticipACTION advisory groups are acknowledged for significant input into the Plan. Finally, the insight shared by those many Canadians who participated in consultations on the Plan is much appreciated.

Conflict of Interest: None to declare.

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Spence, J.C., Faulkner, G., Bradstreet, C.C. et al. Active Canada 20/20: A physical activity plan for Canada. Can J Public Health 106, e470–e473 (2015). https://doi.org/10.17269/CJPH.106.5041

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.17269/CJPH.106.5041

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