Impact of the ParticipACTION Report Card on physical activity for children and youth in Canada: 2015–2024

Abstract

Background

Canada has produced 16 national Report Cards on the Physical Activity of Children and Youth over the past 20 years. This manuscript details the impact of the most recent Report Cards released between 2015 and 2024, updating evidence since the publication of the impact paper focused on the first 10 years (2005–2014).

Methods

Various quantitative and qualitative approaches were employed to catalogue the developmental history and background of the Report Card, its leadership and sources of funding; consolidate and discuss the various evaluations and assessments that have been performed on the Report Card from 2015 to 2024; describe the distribution and reach of the Report Card from 2015 to 2024; and, examine the multi-dimensional impact of the Report Card on propelling the movement to get children and youth moving over the past 10 years in Canada and internationally.

Results

Leadership by ParticipACTION has led to replicating the Children and Youth Report Card in over 70 jurisdictions, with many examples of beneficial cross-fertilization of ideas across jurisdictions and sectors. The multisectoral impact of the Report Card in Canada continues to be substantial, though sustained funding remains a challenge. There is modest evidence that grades for some indicators are drifting upwards. Deliberate efforts have been made to better integrate evidence and gaps related to the physical activity of equity-denied groups.

Conclusions

Over the past 10 years, the ParticipACTION Children and Youth Report Card has continued to have a measurable, positive impact on the pediatric physical activity field in Canada (and beyond).