Canada an active nation 1 Background 1959 Prince

Canada – an active nation 1

Background • 1959 Prince of Wales – Canadians ‘not as fit as they might be’ • 1961 Fitness and Amateur Sport Act – Federal and Provincial government start to jointly fund voluntary sports organisations • Late 1960 s – first Canada Games under ‘Unity through Sport’ banner and first national TV broadcasts about activity – forerunner to national social marketing campaign • Early 1970 s - national task force led to Participation Canada (public campaign) and Sport Canada (high performance sport remit) 2

Background • 1972 – first national survey identified high levels of inactivity • 1974 – Lalonde report called for health policy beyond health care • 1976 Olympics and 1978 Commonwealth Games – six -fold increase in Federal grants • 1988 Calgary Olympics and 1994 Commonwealth Games • 1986 Ottawa Charter – international framework for health promotion • 1986 -7 – Summit on Fitness led to move from ‘fitness’ to ‘active living’ 3

Background • Early 1990 s – severe cuts in programmes and increases in activity levels begin to stall • 2001 – Particip. ACTION closes after 30 years due to funding cuts by Health Canada • 2003 – Sport Canada funds sports participation for first time • 2004 – Pan-Canadian Physical Activity Strategy – cross-governmental target agreed to increase activity by 10% by 2010 • March 2005 – final report on re-launching national social marketing campaign • 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver – ‘Legacy Now’ 4

Social marketing campaign • Should be assessed against impact on awareness, recall and understanding • Achieved 75% unprompted recall (89% prompted) • 65% said that campaign had helped them to become more active • Unrivalled longevity within public health (1971 -2001) • Impossible to prove causal link with participation, but clear contributory factor – Canada achieved unprecedented activity increases during campaign period • Run by ‘not-for-profit’ agency outside government 5

Social marketing campaign • Core funding from Health Canada @ $1 M per year • Attracted around $2 M per year from nongovernmental sources plus almost $300 M (over life of campaign) from in free mass media coverage • Overall leverage of 1: 15 public v non-public funding • Avoided ‘sport’ and ‘exercise’ messages and didn’t medicalise the message • Focused on fun, employed humour and linked to everyday activities – ‘walk a block a day’, gardening, cycling, swimming etc • Combined with participation events, information strategy and ‘influencing’ work with decision makers 6

Supply side • Distinction between sport and physical activity under the banner of ‘active living’ and clarity of roles at Federal government level • ‘Great Outdoors’ but major weather extremes! • Very strong focus on ‘everyone plays’ and ‘participation’ e. g. Vancouver’s mission for 2010 Winter Olympics - to be ‘most active host nation ever’ • Long-termism e. g. social marketing campaign • Strong focus on supporting voluntary sector – grassroots approach e. g voluntary sector lead in BC • Low cost access – see slide on swimming • Availability e. g. Ottawa has 220 outdoor skate rinks and 25 pools (750, 000 people) 7

Supply side • Participation events – national (Summer. Active) and local events • Environmental interventions - extensive pathways and cycle paths – e. g. Montreal voted ‘best cycling city on the continent’ and CPD module on ‘active transportation’ for planners and engineers • Target group strategies for women/girls, older people, people with disabilities etc • Innovation – buses with bike racks, cycle shuttle buses in Vancouver, 1 M free pedometers (coupled with 3 million messages), pedometer loans in libraries • Strong lobby – ‘Coalition for Active Living’ embraces over 60 key agencies 8

Supply side • Municipal government leads on facility provision and community sport and activity programmes • Strong involvement of Provincial Health Depts. and local ‘health boards’ in promoting ‘active living’ e. g. BC Ministry of Health funding Active Schools and Active Community Programmes • Strong culture of volunteerism – 56% volunteer in some manner each year • Revenue investment in supporting community use of schools e. g. $20 M in Ontario from Education Ministry • Strong on public information e. g. Saskatoon in Motion website – where to be active, tips, workouts, routes, advice and contacts 9

Supply-side illustration swimming Pay and play price Leisure Card Membership/passes Vancouver £ 2. 25 Free access £ 150 for swim and fitness centres Ottawa £ 1. 80 £ 75 per head annual credits £ 210 for swim/fitness £ 120 for swim only Montreal £ 1. 50 Free or half price access Example - £ 50 fitness membership at National Sports Centre Sheffield £ 3. 00 -3. 90 30% discount £ 324 for swim/fitness No ‘swim-only’ membership 10

Investment England Government spend £ person per year 21 Germany 30 Australia 51 Canada 76 France 112 11

Outputs and outcomes • 1% annual increase every year in % regularly active from 1981 to 2000 – despite fall-off in ‘sports’ participation (CFLRI) • 44% of adults active in leisure time – achieving equivalent of walking an average of at least 30 minutes daily (CFLRI) • 55% are active (leisure time) in British Columbia! (CFLRI) • 1995 -2000 sufficiently active men increased but unchanged for women (CFLRI) • By 2000 shifts occurred across all activity levels i. e. the median level of activity increased and sedentary 12 numbers had fallen (CRLRI)

Outputs and outcomes • Widening differentials by income group • Amongst 20 countries with lowest mortality rates from cardiovascular disease, Canada ranked 4 th lowest for men and 3 rd lowest for women • Rate of heart attack in Canada 2. 26 compared with 3. 65 in England (per 1000 population) • 85% of Canadians regard physical activity as important • Medals – Canada 1. 71 and England 1. 06 (per M population) 13

Outputs and outcomes • Adult obesity levels have been static at 15% since 1994 • % adults overweight has reduced from 49% to 47% (1994 to 2000) • Major participation at events – 60, 000 at Montreal Cycle Festival and 40, 000 at Vancouver 10 K fun run • Re-investment – major increases in Provincial funding in last 3 years on back of ‘health case’ 14

Summary points • ‘Active living’ philosophy embracing sport, physical activity, everyday routines • Long term commitment to social marketing • Investment – facilities and environment • Support for voluntary sector • Engagement of health and sports sectors • Culture of ‘everyone plays’ • Physical activity at the core of the health policy debate • Long-term monitoring of physical activity levels 15

However • Childhood obesity is increasing – 25% are either overweight or obese • PE under pressure in schools • Facility stock needs investment • Battling with the ‘car culture’ • Already had the ‘easy wins’ on activity levels? • Widening income differentials in activity levels • Need to regain social marketing momentum 16