A program that works
Since Sport Nova Scotia began, its vision has been “that all Nova Scotians will attain
better health and a sense of achievement through active participation in recreational and
competitive sport experiences throughout their lives.”
Sport Nova Scotia also believes that every child in Nova Scotia must be given the
opportunity to be physically active. By creating these opportunities, children develop lifelong habits so they can lead healthy and productive lives.
Today, one in three Canadian children are overweight or obese.1 In Nova Scotia, 32
percent of children between two and 17 years of age are either overweight or obese,
which is six percent above the national average.2 Among children, girls are more likely
than boys to be overweight but once they become adolescents, this gender difference
reverses.3 Unhealthy eating and lack of physical activity are a large part of the problem.4
Less than half of Canadian children and youth meet the Health Canada physical activity
guidelines for healthy growth and development.
The question becomes: what can we do to ensure young children have a healthier start
in life? What works to help children become healthy adults? According to a recent
report from the Health Council of Canada, Their Future is Now: Healthy Choices for
Canada’s Children and Youth, there are 10 key elements that make healthy living
programs work. Five of the ten aspects identified by the Health Council are: act early
and often, involve parents and families, involve youth, make programs accessible and
equitable, and adapt programs to meet community needs. Sport Nova Scotia’s AfterSchool Physical Activity Program responds to all five of these elements and after two
very successful years, the program has a proven track record of success.
How the program gets results
In February 2005, Sport Nova Scotia piloted this program in four schools with the
intention to increase the daily activity level of children in grades three to six. In 2006,
Sport Nova Scotia received additional funding for this program from the IWK Health
Centre Foundation, which allowed the program to be expanded to five more schools. By
the end of the 2006 school year, over 500 children had taken part in the program since it
began.
Sport Nova Scotia recognizes that there are many barriers facing families that want to
have their children in sport programs. One barrier can be where they live. In rural
communities, it can be more difficult for families to access programs because the
Picard, Andre. “Canadians are bigger than ever, survey finds,” The Globe and Mail. July 7, 2005.
Gardner, Matt Hunt and The Canadian Press. “N.S. has a big fat problem,” The Chronicle Herald. July 7,
2005.
3 Health Council of Canada. Their Future is Now: Healthy Choices for Canada’s Children & Youth. June
2006.
4 Ibid.
1
2
Sport Nova Scotia, November 2006
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programs are not located nearby. For this reason, Sport Nova Scotia took the program to
schools in more rural settings.
Sport Nova Scotia also realizes that a “cookie cutter” approach would not meet local
needs. In order to benefit the children that needed it most, Sport Nova Scotia
encouraged each school to identify children that may come from lower income families
or children not already active in sport. Within each individual program, students and
program leaders tailored the programs to offer what was of interest to the students.
Students in one program may have preferred basketball or dodgeball while students in
another program preferred skipping or hip-hop dance. Finally, a “girls-only” program
was also offered one day a week at each site, which helped to target a key group of
inactive youth.
At each school, there is a Program Coordinator, often a teacher from the school, and
Youth Leaders, local high-school students, who worked together with students to plan
the physical activities.
The Youth Leaders are motivated, energetic students who are willing to share their
enthusiasm for physical activity with the younger students. Prior to joining the program,
each participating high-school student was required to complete a leadership-training
course, which was taught by Sport Nova Scotia’s Sport Development Unit. During the
course, students trained in the areas of safety, fair play and program delivery. Criminal
record checks and Child Abuse Registry checks are also conducted for each Program
Coordinator and Youth Leader. Four trained high-school students and one coordinator
worked each day of the program, ensuring a teaching ratio of five students per leader.
By including high-school students, Sport Nova Scotia encourages teenagers to be
physically active and supports the development of future coaches and community
volunteers.
The end result was that at each site through fun, safe and developmentally appropriate
sport and games, girls and boys were given an opportunity to play games or sports while
learning how to be more physically active. Children participated in activities for at least
40 minutes for every 60 minutes of programming, which helped them exceed the
minimum of 60 minutes a day of physical activity as recommended by Health Canada.
Surveys were also conducted to determine the program’s success. Before the start of
the program in each site, a pre-program survey was conducted and, at the end of each
program, post-program surveys were also conducted by parents, students, leaders and
coordinators. At the end of the day, parents and children in each program site found the
program fun and rewarding. For students, the average rating of the program was 9.3
out of ten while parents made comments such as “he looks forward to the AfterSchool Program and likes to go to schools those days”, “he can’t wait for the
days to come each week. He really enjoys it”, and “she is always excited to go…”.
Sport Nova Scotia, November 2006
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What were the results?
Highlights from the surveys are provided below with information gathered from the
following sites and number of respondents.
Locations
Harbourside
Sheet Harbour
Cumberland North
Academy
St. Marys
Weymouth
Port Williams
Greenfield
Brookfield
Cambridge (surveys
unavailable)
Total Pre-Survey
Responses
85
40
53
Total Post-Survey
Responses
30
58
49
19
48
7
56
29
0
18
29
7
46
39
0
How many days per week do you take part in physical activity including your time
in the After-School Physical Activity Program (e.g. play sport, walk, play outside
etc.)?
Of the children that responded to this questions, 54% indicated they took part in
physical activity 5-7 days per week compared to only 47% of respondents prior to
the children starting in the program.
5-7 days per week
3-4 days per week
1-2 days per week
No physical activity
Pre-Program Survey
47%
31%
21%
1%
Post-Program Survey
54%
31%
15%
0%
How long do you take part in physical activity (e.g. sport practice for one hour,
After-School Physical Activity Program)?
Of the children that responded to this questions, 61% indicated they were now active
for 60 minutes or more each day compared to 58% of respondents prior to the
children starting in the program.
60 minutes or more
30-60 minutes
Less than 30 minutes
Pre-Program Survey
58%
37%
5%
Post-Program Survey
61%
35%
4%
What was the best part of participating in the ASPA Program? (n=256)
Learning new skills/playing lots of sports and activities
37%
Making new friends/playing with friends
17%
Having fun
16%
Exercise and fitness
14%
Sport Nova Scotia, November 2006
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Along with gathering information from the children involved in the program, parents were
also asked for their perspective on the program and the affects on their children. Here
are some of the comments parents provided.






“my daughter is more willing to go out and get moving”
“I have seen a difference in the sense that my son wants to go outside after
school more and wants to play basketball and ride his bike more”
“I have seen quite a bit of change. The girls are outside more, running, skipping
and bouncing on the trampoline”
“…[he] enjoyed the program very much. He is usually a very shy person and my
husband and I noticed a big difference in him through out the program. He was
more outgoing and has an interest in participating in other sports now. We
noticed he has more confidence”
“watching less T.V, spending more time outside, more energy”
“…[she] has increased her physical activity at home more since the program and
has joined other clubs like running and skipping”
Parents were also asked what aspects of the program most benefited their child. Fiftyone percent of the parents indicated the physical activity most benefited their
child, 35.5% indicated social aspects most benefited and 13.5% indicated fun and
enjoyment.
Where do we go from here?
The program has been an outstanding success over the past two years. Last year, in
partnership with the IWK Health Centre, the program was expanded, which ensured
more students received the benefits. Along with the IWK Health Centre Foundation, Milk
Energy (Dairy Farmers of Canada) also supports the program through financial
contributions and by providing healthy after-school snacks to every child in the program
in all nine locations. This school year, nine schools are again participating in the
program.
Sport Nova Scotia is now working with the Province and other like-minded organizations
to help expand the After-School Physical Activity Program so that more children in Nova
Scotia can benefit from its proven success. Sport Nova Scotia is also working with the
Department of Education and Nova Scotia Health Promotion and Protection to hopefully
incorporate the student leader’s role in the senior high-school Physical Education
Leadership course and/or the Physically Active Lifestyle (PAL) course. PAL is a
graduation requirement and therefore would give all senior high-school students the
option to be an After-School Physical Activity Program leader while significantly reducing
cost that would allow a much broader expansion of the program.
It is increasingly clear from medical reports and public surveys that the health of
Canadian and Nova Scotian children needs to be addressed and one way is by
supporting and creating innovative programs. Sport Nova Scotia believes that
experiences in childhood affect lifelong habits and that it is worth the investment in
children’s physical, mental and emotional health to ensure the future adults have the
knowledge and habits to lead healthy and productive lives. In short, making the
investment upstream is strategic – it is investing in our future.
Sport Nova Scotia, November 2006
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