Promoting participation in sport and
other physical activity in Fiji
Report on barriers and enablers for participation
in physical activity and communication of
simple health messages to support national NCD
prevention efforts.
Tom Carroll PhD
Beverley Carroll
June, 2015
*The views in this report are those of the authors and not necessarily the Australian Government.
1
Contents
Acknowledgements................................................................................................................................. 2
1
Background ..................................................................................................................................... 3
2
Objectives........................................................................................................................................ 3
3
Approach to the consultation program .......................................................................................... 3
4
Phase 1: Identification of barriers and enablers for participation in physical activity ................... 4
4.1
Stakeholder consultation meetings program ......................................................................... 4
4.2
Analysis ................................................................................................................................... 4
4.3
Findings: Phase 1:.................................................................................................................... 4
4.3.1
Barriers for physical activity ............................................................................................ 4
4.3.2
Enablers for physical activity........................................................................................... 7
4.4
Barriers and enablers for community members with disability ........................................... 10
5 Phase 2: Development of simple health messages and images to promote participation in
physical activity ..................................................................................................................................... 11
5.1
Testing health messages and images .................................................................................... 11
5.1.1
5.2
Materials tested ............................................................................................................ 12
Findings: Phase 2................................................................................................................... 12
5.2.1
Health messages motivating participation in physical activity. .................................... 12
5.2.2
Images motivating participation in physical activity ..................................................... 14
5.2.3
Brand name and logo design ........................................................................................ 18
5.2.4
Colour palette ............................................................................................................... 18
6
Language translation..................................................................................................................... 19
7
Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 19
8
References .................................................................................................................................... 20
Appendix 1: World Health Organization Pacific Physical Activity Guidelines for Adults ...................... 21
Appendix 2: Participants in the stakeholder consultation meeting program....................................... 22
Appendix 3: Key informant interview guide ......................................................................................... 23
Appendix 4: Group meeting discussion guide ...................................................................................... 26
Appendix 5: Materials tested in Phase 2 .............................................................................................. 31
2
Acknowledgements
The team wish to sincerely acknowledge and thank the Australian Sports Commission’s partner
agencies and programs in Fiji who contributed to this consultation program. Peter Mazey and Elesi
Ketedromo also generously provided assistance with the arrangements and recruitment of
participants for the consultation meetings and Rakesh Chand and Senimilia Seru and other staff of
Fiji Disabled People's Federation and Fiji National Council for Disabled Persons who assisted in the
organisation of consultation meeting group discussions with agencies representing people with
disability. The team also wish to thank the community members from Delainavesi village who
participated in the community consultation discussion, Kanal Fumar and Temica Mitchell and other
staff of the Ministry of Health’s Wellness Unit for their valuable input and assistance with the
development of materials for testing and sign language interpreter, Loraini Kunadua, who assisted
with the consultation group meetings with disability agencies and the program stakeholder meeting
at the conclusion of the consultation program.
3
1
Background
In the Pacific region, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for 75.4% of all adult deaths and
are the cause of significant productivity losses. In Fiji, NCDs are the leading cause of morbidity,
disability and mortality. NCDs include diabetes, circulatory diseases such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease and stroke, chronic lung diseases and cancer. The relatively low levels of physical
activity amongst the Fijian adult population, particularly amongst women, are contributing to high
levels of NCDs. In the most recently published Fiji STEPS Noncommunicable Disease Risk Factors
Survey report,1 only 25% of the Fijian population aged 15-64 years were classified as undertaking
moderate or high levels of leisure time physical activity. In 2002, older segments of the population
tended to be less active than younger age segments, with proportions of those classified as
undertaking insufficient levels of leisure time physical activity ranging from 69% of 15-24 year olds
up to 88% for 55-64 year olds. Fijian women in 2002 were more likely to be classified as undertaking
insufficient levels of leisure time physical activity (87%) than men (67%). These levels of insufficient
activity were relatively similar for Indigenous Fijians (75%) and Indo-Fijians (78%). Preliminary results
from the 2011 STEPS survey [unpublished] suggest all the indicators for NCDs have continued to
increase.
A consultation program exploring participation in physical activity in Fiji has been undertaken by the
Australian Sports Commission (ASC) to provide a rapid assessment of the barriers and enablers for
Fijian men and women for their participation in sport and other physical activities. The outputs of
this work will support the ongoing efforts to build participation in sports and other physical activities
in Fiji.
2
Objectives
The objectives for this consultation program were:
1. To provide a rapid assessment of the barriers and enablers for participation in sport and
other physical activities in Fiji;
2. To develop and test response to some simple health messages and image concepts that
could be used by sports, and by government and non-government agencies, to promote
engagement in physical activity; and
3. To develop and test response to brand names, logos and colour choices for promoting
physical activity participation in Fiji.
3
Approach to the consultation program
This consultation program was conducted in Fiji from the 20 April – 1 May 2015 and involved
individual and group meetings with key stakeholders and partners of the Australian Sports
Commission (ASC) in Fiji, participants in these partners’ sport programs and a community
consultation. The consultation program team worked closely with the Fiji National Sports
Commission to engage sport organisations, sport participants and other community members in the
consultation program. The team also engaged the support of the Fiji Disabled Peoples Federation
and the Fiji National Council for Disabled Persons to assist with coordinating input to the
consultation from representatives and member affiliates of disability agencies in Fiji.
4
4
Phase 1: Identification of barriers and enablers for participation in physical
activity
Phase 1 of the consultation program focussed on identifying the barriers and enablers for physical
activity. It comprised a series of consultation meetings with key stakeholder organisations of the ASC
in Fiji, including organisations representing people with disability.
4.1 Stakeholder consultation meetings program
Consultation meetings were conducted with ASC partner agencies, including interviews with
enior-level government officials, national sporting agencies and representatives of disability
community-based agencies. The purpose of these meetings was to provide perspectives on the
country context, cultural issues, infrastructure, population group priorities for increased physical
activity strategies, program initiatives and future priorities, as well as specific examination of barriers
and facilitators for physical activity.
The consultation meetings conducted with agencies representing community members with
disability sought to provide perspectives on particular barriers for participating in sport and other
physical activities experienced by people with different types of disability as well as current and
potential facilitators for physical activity. The World Health Organization’s Pacific Physical Activity
Guidelines for Adults2 were included as stimulus materials in the consultation meetings to enable a
preliminary exploration of potentially relevant and appealing communication themes, messages and
images for encouraging participation in physical activity. These Guidelines are presented in Appendix
1. For this Phase 1 of the consultation program, twelve consultation meetings were conducted
involving 22 participants from thirteen ASC partner agencies, including five organisations
representing people with disability. A list of interview participants is provided in Appendix 2. The key
informant interview guide is provided in Appendix 3.
4.2 Analysis
The consultation program team undertook a content analysis of the data collected in the
consultation meetings. A ‘Framework Method’3 was applied to systematically categorise pieces of
content within the data set into themes. A preliminary examination of an initial set of data was
reviewed and allocated a theme name. Brief descriptions were then allocated to each theme name.
An analysis of the remaining data identified theme similarities and further refining of the themes
was undertaken. A final set of key ‘barriers’ and ‘enablers’ themes emerged.
4.3 Findings: Phase 1:
The consultation program found consistency in the barriers and enablers for physical activity raised
by ASC partner agencies who participated in Phase 1 of the consultation program.
4.3.1
Barriers for physical activity
The following nine themes emerged as barriers for participation in physical activity in Fiji:
i.
Sport infrastructure, capacity and programs
The lack of sport and exercise facilities, suitably maintained open spaces and equipment such as
poles, hoops and nets limited regular participation in physical activity particularly in peri-urban
communities with individuals and teams competing for availability of limited sports facilities. This
5
meant people and teams having to wait a turn or being offered alternate booking times for facilities
which were not convenient owing to work and family commitments. These issues impact on people’s
interest and motivation to participate in sports particularly for regular recreational purposes.
Similarly, the lack of sustainability of some village-based sport and physical activity programs was
raised as an issue for local village capacity to support ongoing physical activity programs with village
members.
ii.
Gender/age inequality in sports
Local sports and competitions tend to be more available for male and female youths than for midolder women and men, resulting in disproportionate rates of sport participation between age and
gender groups. While it was reported that there is enthusiasm among women for more women’s
sports and active games, there were limited offerings for older women. The lack of women in
positions of sport leadership and administration particularly at the local club level was raised as one
issue influencing this. Similarly, limited offerings that replace or adapt sports for men beyond 35
years was found to restrict older men’s participation in regular physical activities, particularly for
men who had been participating at the highly competitive level of a sport.
iii.
Cultural, social and traditional roles
Participants in the consultation program considered that certain Fijian norms and village attitudes
restrict women’s participation in sport or other physical activities when these types of activities take
women away of the home and their family responsibilities. Participants described the role of women
in Fijian society, and particularly married and older women in rural village communities, as having a
strong focus on family and home responsibilities and participation in sports and other physical
activities away from the home is not commonly considered as a priority for women. As well,
participants considered the requirement to wear certain sports clothing (such as short skirts,
sleeveless tops and tight uniforms) influenced women’s participation in certain sports.
iv.
Personal
A range of personal traits including shyness, embarrassment and lack of motivation reduce interest,
opportunity and motivation for physical activity. Having an existing poor health condition, being on
medication, being unfit and having unhealthy eating practices can restrict some people’s interest
and motivation to participate in physical activities. Being unaware of or denying the impact of
current lifestyle choices on health and risk of NCDs, including the impact of being physically inactive,
affects interest and motivation for becoming more physically active for good health. This lack of
commitment to being physically active was seen to be prominent until it is too late and people have
developed illnesses. Similarly, experiencing a sense of inevitability of developing diseases like
diabetes from observing the high incidence of these diseases amongst family members or others in
the community, impacts on some people’s motivation to take preventive action to avoid these
diseases, such as by becoming more physically active. Being disinterested in competitive sports, not
knowing the rules or not having someone to explain the rules (in the case of people with hearing
impairment or an intellectual disability), fearing making mistakes and letting the team down and
preference for sports and games that are ‘fun’ and ‘enjoyable‘ can impact on people’s interest in
participating in sports. Engagement in sedentary lifestyles can impact on opportunity for regular
physical activity. This includes women and especially mothers, grandmothers and older women who
spend long periods of time during the day engaged in sedentary traditional practices and activities
6
such as weaving, with very little movement during the day. As well, other people have restrictions on
regular movement in their daily lives owing to their occupations that require them to sit for long
periods of time in the workplace (especially urban workers). Rural dwellers, especially rural men,
tend to have more physical activity in their day as a result of regular fishing and tending plantations
throughout their life. Lack of interest in alternative sports to those pursued in younger life impacts
on older men’s motivation to sustain physical activity and personal interest in sports participation.
This was identified as less common for Indo-Fijian men who tend to engage in a wider range of
sports in their younger years. Many young people also choose to give their studies priority in terms
of their available time rather than to demands of sports training and competition.
v.
Attitudes to physical activity
Many people perceive themselves as already being physically active through their existing
responsibilities in the home, workplace and to family and have a lack of understanding of the need
to do more for health benefits. At the same time, people commonly express a critical attitude
toward spending time playing sport as this is viewed as a lower order priority for time compared
with other activities such as working in the plantation, especially for people in rural villages. Many
people also report a fear of being stigmatised or being mocked by others for exercising in public as a
result of weight, body size or disability. Similarly older men expressed concern about being ridiculed
by others in the community for taking up regular walking as a form of exercise. Low awareness of
disease risks associated with low levels of physical activity, low prioritisation of the importance of
being physically active and low motivation to be more physically active for health maintenance and
disease prevention were also identified. This was especially noted for some families and carers of
people with disability, and in particular those in rural communities, who consequently offered very
little or no encouragement to their family member with disability to engage in physical activities.
vi.
Social/other competitors
The growing use of social media, electronic games and time spent each day watching movies
(particularly by youth) results in increasing time being sedentary, especially during periods each day
when more active leisure time activities could be pursued. For some men, excessive use of Kava was
seen as impacting on their time and their capacity and motivation to exercise or generally be more
physically active.
vii.
Time
Life change for men and women following marriage and children results in reduced time spent
playing sports and being physically active. Many people report having to care for extended family
members such as taking their elderly relations to appointments, providing care management and
supported living which limits available time for their physical activity. Increasing commitments and
responsibilities to church and village for meetings and for undertaking certain village governance
roles is a regular feature of daily life for many men as they get older. This can result in changes to
their priorities for physical activities in leisure time during their senior years. Work around the home
and child minding responsibilities (for own children and grandchildren) are key family responsibilities
for many Fijian women that limit their time available for sports or other forms of physical activity.
7
viii.
Environment
Limited planning of housing developments for open spaces, playing grounds and suitable
walking/jogging paths reduces the opportunity for recreational physical activity and was especially
raised as a feature of peri-urban settings. The perceived threat of vandalism hinders the
construction of sports equipment such as poles/nets in some communities. For some people, the
weather is considered simply too hot for exercising during the day. This serves to limit exercising to
early mornings and evenings when many women have family and home responsibilities and men
may have responsibilities to their church and village. Poor street lighting can make physical activities
such as walking, jogging and cycling difficult for many people, especially in evenings. As well, the lack
of visible role models, peer leaders and local champions promoting the health benefits of being
physically active and encouraging women and older men to be more active can negatively impact on
the social acceptability of being physically active.
ix.
Costs/ economics
Costs associated with participating in some sports, especially the more organised and competitive
sports, such as for shoes, sports equipment and gear and sports uniforms, place stress on family
budgets, particularly for families supporting school-aged children. Similarly, the costs associated
with club and gym memberships and for participation in competitions such as for sport registration,
travel to sports games and tournaments can result in restricting interest, motivation and family
permission for participation in sport activities.
4.3.2
Enablers for physical activity
The following ten themes emerged as enablers for participation in physical activity in Fiji.
i.
Increasing the perceived importance of physical activity in everyday life, later life,
modelling action and incorporating inclusive sports policy and programs.
The implementation of inclusive sports policies is important for influencing the design and
development of sustainable sport programs and other physical activity initiatives in Fiji. Increasing
the perceived importance of regular physical activity at the national and village level through
communication and advocacy by leaders is important for supporting national action to address
NCDs. This includes political leaders, church leaders, and village leaders taking action to promote
and support physical activity across Fiji as well as visibly modelling active behaviour. Seeing village
champions (including local sport champions) and other village members celebrating their own
personal achievements in getting more physically active and seeing more families, friends and
people with disability out walking or exercising can also increase and reinforce the social
acceptability of being physically active. Working closely with families and carers of people with
disability to raise awareness of the importance of physical activity for their physical and mental
health is important for improving health literacy among this group and for encouraging increased
participation in physical activity for people with disability. Improving the number of sport teams and
competitions designed for older people, such as seniors and veteran teams in a range of sports, is
important for maintaining older men and women in sports activities.
8
ii.
Addressing gender imbalance in sport
Developing and enacting sport gender policies designed to increase the number of women on sports
governing bodies including at the club level, may influence the planning and administration of sport
programs in the community for women and encourage increased participation of women in sport.
iii.
Role of churches/ religious organisations
In Fiji, the church is an important and central focus of daily life. The support from churches for
promoting the value of physical activity and its importance for people’s health was viewed by
participants as critical to improving participation. As Churches provide active leadership and
encouragement to their members to be more physically active in their day, they can exert an
important influence on how Fijian people can improve their health and reduce their risks for NCDs.
Engaging existing church organisational structures such as ‘women’s and men’s leagues’ represent
valuable opportunities for sports to reach village members and sustain their interest and motivation
in being more physically active.
iv.
Safe, accessible and inclusive environments for everyday physical activity
Changing attitudes and increasing awareness of the importance of community inclusiveness in
everyday life is important to support the promotion of physical activity for all. Suva’s ‘seawall walk’ i
and its facilities offer families and friends the opportunity to be physically active together through
walking, playing sports and other games and its maintenance and regular up-keep is important to
ensure it is a safe and accessible place for physical activity. The availability of public Zumba™ and
aerobics classes that are affordable and accessible for all ages, gender and ethnic groups, including
for people with disability, can facilitate community members’ access to opportunities for being more
physically active and can reinforce inclusiveness of participation. The appeal and interest in these
classes will be enhanced further by the provision of appropriate physical structures such as ramps,
video screens and suitable personal amenity facilities that enable participation by older people and
people with disability. As sports organisations adopt a flexible approach to women’s choice of
comfortable and discreet sports clothing they are supporting women’s preference for more modest
attire and are encouraging family and community support for women’s participation in sports’
training activities and competitions. Similarly, promoting sports and physical activity programs that
support some women’s preference and choice to wear more traditional clothing is important for
ensuring women can participate in safe and respectful environments. Improving lighting and wearing
high visibility clothing supports safe evening exercising and sport activities for everyone.
0F
v.
Supporting exercising together/ family and friendship groups
Encouragement within communities for families to allocate regular time to walk, exercise or play
games together is seen as an important factor for promoting physical activity at the local village
level. Parents are important role models to children and can play a key part in promoting the
importance of physical activity for good health to their children and encouraging family members to
get more active. Arranging regular times with friends to exercise together supports greater actual
time spent in physical activities.
i
In Suva, Fiji, a seawall pathway has been built that provides a 2500m walkway with exercise stations and
picnic areas.
9
vi.
Taking personal action
Prioritising daily family responsibilities and household chores was identified as important in order to
schedule physical activity into everyday leisure time. Developing a daily plan for undertaking
household and family responsibilities for men and women was recognised as enabling all family
members to build time into their day to walk, play sports or attend exercise classes. As well,
mobilising men’s and women’s social groups for regular physical activities will assist individuals to be
more motivated and offer alternatives that limit Kava time.
vii.
Health literacy, health promotion talks/communication programs
School-based education and regular visits and talks to villages by health promotion teams and
clinicians can improve awareness and knowledge about the importance of physical activity for health
among local community members. Reinforcing the positive influence of sport outreach programs
and NCD prevention programs that take health promotion strategies such as bringing role models,
champions and health educators to villages to promote the health benefits of increased physical
activity, can increase awareness and interest in the benefits of physical activity for health and build
personal confidence and self-efficacy. Conducting mass media physical activity campaigns that
incorporate inclusive sport participation images can counter negative social attitudes toward
engaging in physical activity and can positively influence participation. Linking sport participation
and physical activity with other lifestyle behaviours such as healthy eating and not smoking is
important for improving awareness of risk factors for NCDs and can support and reinforce the
positive influence of village sports programs and local village-based NCD prevention programs.
viii.
Increasing the promotion of inclusive physical activity in the workplace
Workplace settings offer the opportunity for designating regular time for participation in exercise or
sports during breaks such as before work, at lunchtime and after work. Workplace-based physical
activity programs that provide ‘before work’ and ‘after work’ classes and lunchtime classes (e.g.
workplace-based Zumba™ or aerobics classes and sports training) and support the creation of
walking groups and workplace sport teams for inter-workplace competitions can effectively address
physical activity time barriers associated with home and family responsibilities after a working day.
These types of programs also improve motivation and interest in physical activity by offering support
for regular participation in sport and other physical activities. As well, workplace programs that
provide designated time breaks during working hours for regular movement and exercise such as for
those sitting for long periods of time, including wheelchair users, will support a healthy and
productive workforce. The provision of health screening programs in workplace settings and the
provision of health advice regarding regular physical activity enables people’s access to convenient
health monitoring and feedback and can reinforce their interest and motivation to improve their
health through a regular physical activity program.
ix.
Increasing local village access to facilities, sport programs and opportunities
The promotion of an ‘active village participating together for health’ and broadening opportunities
for inclusion of all village members in sports, games and exercise classes, offers opportunity for
encouragement, motivation and support for physical activity at the village level. Villages and
churches can enable these opportunities through their various committees and governance
structures. Broadening opportunities for the inclusion of all village members in sports, games and
10
exercise classes such as regular Zumba™/aerobics, aligned to men and women’s enjoyment of dance
and music, can support those people not ready or not interested in high intensive training/physical
activities to get active. Offering a range of sports within villages and adapting sport activities for the
inclusion of older men and women and people with a disability, such as table tennis and modified
sports and games, is important for ensuring accessibility of programs and for promoting an inclusive
healthy village. The erection of nets for volleyball and basketball hoops in suitable village spaces and
regular maintenance of fields and grounds can support play during recreational and leisure time. As
well, instigating designated women’s sports days in villages for physical activity programs can
address cultural and time barriers for women to regularly exercise. Some examples could include
Zumba™ and dance, women’s cricket, volleyball, basketball and women’s walking groups (especially
in rural areas) at designated times in the week. Sports organisations offering coaching, refereeing
and health promotion training programs to a range of people such as school teachers, past elite and
older sport players and disabled sportspersons can build local capacity for active villages.
x.
Active older people as role models
Older people are key role models for all community members, especially younger members.
Supporting physically active lifestyles for older people by providing them with coaching roles can
provide important role modelling of active behaviours, sustain health and improve fitness of older
people, as well as building local sport capacity in villages.
4.4 Barriers and enablers for community members with disability
Many of the barriers and enablers for physical activity mentioned above were confirmed by agencies
representing people with disability. Some specific barriers raised by participants with disability in the
group discussions included lack of availability of programs in workplace settings that support people
to maintain active movement during the day; access issues that limit attendance in programs
available in the community; and the lack of availability of structures (such as large visual screens) or
provision of instructions, for people with hearing impairment who wish to join in sports or exercise
classes but are limited by lack of knowledge of the rules. In contrast, the use of devices such as flags
for refereeing games was noted as a welcomed enabler for participation in sport by people with
hearing impairment. Importantly, across the consultation program the perception was expressed
that inclusion of people with disability had improved in recent years. Inclusive participation was now
felt to be encouraged more by sports and increasingly supported through a range of sport programs.
It was felt that further work is required in peri-urban and rural communities for expanding
acceptance. Ensuring an inclusive sports policy and programs for inclusive sports for the country was
expressed as a key enabler for sustained change. Other key enabling strategies identified included
providing opportunities for role modelling and community advocacy work by Special Olympics team
members and other sports persons with disability, thereby providing more visible role models and
support for advocacy efforts for inclusive public policies and activities. In addition, the use of these
sports persons in sport capacity building programs such as training local village sports leaders and
coaches and in promoting village-based sport and physical activity skills to people with a disability
was raised as a potential strategy.
11
5
Phase 2: Development of simple health messages and images to promote
participation in physical activity
A series of simple health communication messages, images and brands promoting participation in
physical activity were developed by the research team following consideration of the major themes
emerging from the Phase 1 consultation meetings. These were developed in consultation with the
Physical Activity Team at the Fiji Ministry of Health’s Wellness Unit. Materials also included some
modified communication concepts from the Wellness Unit’s physical activity initiatives. The team
sought the advice of the Wellness Unit regarding the need for translating these materials into Fijian
and Hindi languages. Advice was provided that English language was widely used in Fiji by both
Indigenous Fijian and Indo-Fijian ethic groups. Therefore it was decided to not translate the
materials into local languages for this message testing research.
5.1 Testing health messages and images
The second phase of the consultation program involved a series of group meetings with members of
ASC stakeholder organisations, including their participants from sports partners and community
members from the Delainavesi village. Group meetings were conducted with males and females
aged 15-17 years, 18-34 years and 35-50 years and with women and men with disability aged 20-50
years. A message testing methodology was used to explore response to the materials developed.
This entailed participants assessing the effectiveness of messages and images to encourage
participation in physical activity and then discussing their perceptions of the messages, images and
the brand theme in terms of being easy to understand, being personally relevant and motivating. A
total of 50 participants from ASC sport and disability partner organisations and 22 community
members from the Delainavesi village took part in the Phase 2 group meetings. The breakdown of
the Phase 2 group meetings is provided in Table 2.
Table 1: Breakdown of group meetings for Phase 2.
PSP sport Location
partner
agency
PSP participants (recreational players)
Volleyball
Urban Suva
Volleyball
Urban Suva
Football
Urban Suva
Football
Urban Suva
Cricket
Urban Suva
Cricket
Urban Suva
Urban Suva
Urban Suva
Rural
Females 15-17 years
Males 18-34 years
Females 35 years+
Males 35 years+
Females 15-17 years
Males 18-34 years
Females: 20-50 years (disability)
Males: 20-50 years (disability)
Delainavesi village community consultation
The group meeting discussion guide is provided in Appendix 4.
12
5.1.1
Materials tested
The materials tested in Phase 2 included nine health messages, ten images, four brand themes, an
inclusive program brand image and nine colour palette options for brand and logo presentation.
Image concepts for Phase 2 were developed from analysis of data from the Phase 1 consultation
meetings as well as from recent research in other Pacific Island countries relating to the perceived
benefits of engaging in regular physical activity, including social, health and increased wellbeing.
Further, the image concepts were developed in consultation with Ministry of Health’s Wellness Unit
to reflect positive sport and other activities and situations which Fijian people currently engage in to
some degree or aspired to undertake in the future in order to achieve those benefits, as well as the
characteristics of these activities that people find most enjoyable. The images were prepared in
consultation with the Wellness Unit’s creative production advisor and are presented in Appendix 5.
An analysis of responses to the messages, images and brand themes was undertaken across the nine
group discussions. Perceptions across the dimensions of comprehension, perceived personal
relevance and perceived effectiveness of messages and images in motivating increased physical
activity were examined and compared across groups. Preferences for brand themes, a logo concept
and colour palettes were also analysed.
5.2 Findings: Phase 2
The results of the Phase 2 consultation program are presented below, indicating the messages,
images, brand, logo concept and colour palettes that resonated most effectively with study
participants in encouraging participation in sport and other physical activities.
5.2.1
i.
Health messages motivating participation in physical activity.
Messages motivating both men and women
The messages perceived to be most effective in encouraging participation in physical activity across
all meeting groups and the community consultation were:

Be active every day for a healthier life.
and,

Make time for your health, get moving every day.
These two messages clearly communicated the importance of regular physical activity to promote
and sustain better health and to increase the likelihood of a longer life. The second message was
considered particularly relevant and encouraging for those who considered themselves to be ‘time
poor’ to recognise the importance of regular physical activity and to prioritise physically activity in
their day.
ii.
Additional health message that promoted participation in physical activity among women.
The following message was also perceived to be most effective by women:

It’s not too late to start moving now.
This message resonated more strongly with women participants, particularly amongst the least
physically active women. It was considered a personally relevant message, particularly offered hope
13
for those at risk of developing diabetes or other health conditions and countered opinions that once
you are overweight or inactive nothing can be done to improve your health.
iii.
Additional health message that promoted participation in physical activity among men.

Move more for your health and for your family.
This message resonated more strongly with male participants as they identified with the message of
maintaining personal health to be able to look after their family, but also in relation to being a role
model to other family members for participating in physical activity and supporting members of their
family to be physically active for good health.
iv.
Additional health message that promoted participation in physical activity among men and
for people with disability

Keep strong, move more to live long.
This message resonated more strongly with men as well as with women and men with disability. The
notion of keeping strong was seen to imply much more than simply physical strength, but rather, this
message communicated the importance of regular physical activity for health, with ‘strong’ meaning
focussed, fit and healthy (physically and mentally), with more energy to actively engage in daily life
and responsibilities.
14
5.2.2
i.
Images motivating participation in physical activity
Images motivating women and men
Active family walking together.
Presenting and promoting the benefits of a family
exercising together was considered a valuable
motivator for participation in physical activity. It
was considered that the image of a family walking
together reinforced the role of parents as role
models for their children and the importance of
supporting all family members to be more active
for their health. This image resonated very
positively with men and women across all age
groups.
Sports competitors with disability ii.
1F
The portrayal of people with disability playing sports
was positively received by men, younger women and
women with disability. It was considered an
empowering image and communicated sport and
other forms of physical activity are for everyone and
that a physical disability should not be a barrier to
participation in physical activities. The obvious focus
and determination of the athletes was key to the
effectiveness of these images. It was considered that
this image had significant potential to encourage nonactive people to become more active as it effectively
communicated that if people with disabilities can get
active there should be no excuses for people without
disabilities to not participate.
ii
The use of images of people with disability to motivate or empower others in the community can be
controversial, particularly if images are seen to objectify or disempower people with disability, or are used in
ways which do not reflect the preferences and choices of people with disability. Their possible use as a tool to
empower the broader community was tested amongst people with disability involved in the research. Any
further use of similar images in public health campaigns which include people with disability should be done in
close consultation with relevant disabled people’s organisations in Fiji.
15
ii.
Motivating images for women
Zumba™/aerobics.
These images resonated with all women as
participation in exercise classes such as
Zumba™ and aerobics was considered a ‘fun’
and pleasant form of physical activity appealing
mostly to women’s enjoyment of music and
dance. The image of exercise classes in an
outdoor setting was positively received as a
welcoming and less formal environment which
enabled large groups of people to be physically
active together – a key motivator for women.
This image also promoted a sense of
inclusiveness and a ‘healthy village’ together by
the inclusion of larger women in the image in
comfortable clothing, as well as men and
children village members and people of
different ethnic backgrounds. The indoor
setting image was also viewed favourably and
especially by younger women, as it
represented convenience (in terms of time)
such as exercise classes being available after
work. It also appealed to those women wanting
a higher intensity exercise workout.
Active village women playing sport.
The portrayal of older women being
active in different sports was positively
received by women of all ages,
including women with disability. This
portrayal of active older women
provides important role-modelling of
physical activity to young women and
girls. The image promoted physical
activity for all people regardless of age
through the demonstration of the
older women’s enjoyment of the game
(their smiles), their wearing traditional
clothing and having bare feet while
engaged in sports. The ‘village setting’
was also considered important for
promoting accessibility and was
considered relevant for older
sedentary women such as those who
spend time weaving.
16
Women walking in group.
While this image did not rate as highly
as the active village women above,
promoting a group of women walking
for physical activity was mentioned by
participants as an important motivator
for enabling women to be more
physically active in their day, particularly
women in peri-urban setting. Walking as
a form of exercise was considered
enjoyable for social reasons and was
physically achievable particularly for
those not very fit or currently not very
active at all. The inclusion of a group of
women in the image importantly
promoted safety, acceptance and
supported walking for adequate lengths
of time for health benefits.
iii.
Images motivating men
Active older men - Playing sport.
The two images depicting the Prime
Minister playing touch rugby and an
older man playing lawn bowls were both
rated strongly by men as useful
depictions of men remaining active and
engaging in physical activity in older
years. This was seen as valuable
modelling to both older and younger
men, encouraging continued
participation in physical activity in
mature years. The fact that the men in
these images look focussed and like they
are enjoying themselves helps to make
the images more effective. The two
images worked well together as they
suggested that as men became older
they could move from a more vigorous
sport like touch rugby to a less physically
demanding sport such as lawn bowls.
17
Active older men - Community walk.
Diagnosis/Diabetes.
The image of an older man leading a
group walk was viewed very positively
by men as a valuable image to reflect
leadership in promoting participation
in physical activity. The fact that the
President of Fiji was featured in this
image leading the walk was viewed
positively. When probed further on the
image about whether this would still be
an effective image if the man featured
was simply an older man from the
community, the favourable assessment
of this image was confirmed as men
felt it was still a valuable depiction of
community leadership promoting
participation in physical activity.
While these images related to diabetes
provoked animated discussion and interest
within all group discussions, they did not
tend to be selected as strongly as those
mentioned above as being effective images
to motivate them to be more physically
active. Nevertheless, while discussing the
images, the portrayal of the concerned wife
in the black and white image generated
attention and was considered key to the
message communicating the impact of an
unfavourable health diagnosis on the
family. The potential inclusion of a child in
the image was suggested to add further
emotional strength. The fact that the man
had not had an amputation yet inspired
hope that he may be able to change his
lifestyle to reduce his risk.
18
5.2.3
Brand name and logo design
After viewing four brand/slogan options for the promotion of physical activity in Fiji, two brands
were equally preferred: ‘Let’s get moving Fiji!’ and ‘Come on Fiji, let’s move more!’ Each of these
brands was assessed as clearly communicating to all Fijian people and strongly encouraging them to
become more physically active for health benefits with their positive, inclusive, ‘calls to action’.
While the notion of ‘Let’s get moving’ was popular, the idea of needing to ‘move more’ was
considered by some as an important inclusion to address the need to do something more than what
you may already be doing in playing sport or in every day work and home responsibilities. This call to
action of ‘move more’ was seen as therefore more inclusive for those who are already moving to
some extent, as well as for those who were not currently active. Building on the strengths of each of
these brands, a new fused brand name was developed.
‘Let’s get moving more, Fiji!’
The branding graphic depicting a silhouette strip of people of different ages, gender and sizes, and
with disability, doing different sports and physical activities was included in the study. This was
favourably assessed as reinforcing the range of different ways people can get physically active such
as by riding a bicycle, playing touch rugby or netball, walking, jogging or swimming.
The image was perceived to promote inclusiveness through the representation of wheelchair
basketball as well as a range of different sports which are accessible for people with a disability.
While the majority of participants felt the logo was very suitable for Fiji in its current form,
suggestions for additional characters that could possibly be added to, or replace some existing
figures to make the logo more representative for Fiji, were a cricket player and a person working in a
plantation (although there was a majority preference to depict only sports images).
5.2.4
Colour palette
Three colour palettes were selected by participants as being suitable for presentation of messages to
promote physical activity in Fiji.
19
These three colour palettes were selected by participants much more often than other colour
combinations for being the most effective for the brand and logo design. They were: sky blue and
white; lime green and white; and sky blue, yellow and crimson, with this sky blue, yellow and
crimson being slightly more popular than the other two.
6
Language translation
All messages and program branding materials were prepared and tested in English language. This
was based on advice from Ministry of Health regarding their current health communication
materials and consistent with other observed advertisers’ materials. The need to provide messages
and branding in translated form as well as English was explored during the community consultation
meeting with the Delainavesi village community and at the end-of-consultation program stakeholder
meeting. Feedback from these discussions confirmed the appropriateness of presenting the health
messages in written English form only and that the images would provide a visual reinforcement of
the message, including to those with limited literacy in English. Use of the messages by
spokespeople on talk-back radio was also suggested as a valuable strategy for communicating with
lower-literacy audiences. However it was suggested by some that presentation of the brand name in
English and Fijian may be advantageous. It is recommended that if this dual-language approach is
adopted, further consultation and testing of the translated brand should be undertaken to ensure
consistent and appropriate meaning between the English and Fijian versions.
7
Conclusion
This consultation program provided information regarding a range of barriers for involvement in
sport and other physical activities in Fiji. Multiple themes were also identified as potential means of
facilitating and enabling greater participation. This information can be useful to inform strategic and
promotional participation strategies for sports and other ASC partners. In addition, a series of simple
health messages was developed from these findings and from WHO Guidelines, and tested with
community members. Research findings identified the most effective of these messages for
engaging and motivating Fijian women and men to recognise the importance of regular physical
activities and to prioritise this physical activity in their daily lives. The research also identified a
range of effective images and branding concept to support and reinforce these messages. The
consistent use of these messages by a range of organisations, including sports and community
partner organisations, can serve to reinforce the importance of physical activity for health and
promote greater participation in physical activity in Fiji. Inclusion of images of men and women with
disabilities reinforces the importance of participation in physical activity for all Fijians.
20
8
References
1. Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), Fiji School of Medicine, Menzies
Center for Population Health Research, University of Tasmania (Australia), Ministry of
Health (Fiji), World Health Organization (WHO). Fiji STEPS Noncommunicable Disease Risk
Factors Survey 2002. Available at: http://www.who.int/chp/steps/FijiSTEPSReport.pdf
2. World Health Organisation. (2008). Pacific physical activity guidelines for adults: framework
for accelerating the communication of physical activity guidelines. World health
organisation Western Pacific Region. Available at
http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/publications/pacific_pa_guidelines.pdf
3. Gale N, Heath G, Cameron E, et al. Using the framework method for the analysis of
qualitative data in multi-disciplinary health research. BMC Medical Research Methodology.
2013;13(1):1-8.
21
Appendix 1: World Health Organization Pacific Physical Activity Guidelines for
Adults
Guideline 1:

If you are not physically active
(moving much), it's not too late
to START NOW! Do regular
physical activity and reduce
sedentary activities.

Be active every day in as many
ways as you can, your way.

Do at least 30 minutes of
moderate intensity physical
activity on 5 or more days each
week.

If you can, enjoy some regular
vigorous-intensity activity for
extra health and fitness
benefits.
Guideline 2:
Guideline 3:
Guideline 4:
22
Appendix 2: Participants in the stakeholder consultation meeting program
Name
Organisation
Peter Mazey
Fiji National Sports Commission
Elesi Ketedromo
Rodney Yee
Australian Government Department of Foreign
Affairs and Trade
Rakesh Chand
Fiji Disabled People's Federation
Manasa Baravilala
Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic
Lorraine Mar
Committee
Lyndall Fisher
Jeegar Bhavsar
Stephanie Franet
Bob S Kumar
Fiji Football Association
Lai Puamau
Basketball Fiji
Saula Koroi
Semaima Lagilagi
Fiji Volleyball
Inoke Lesuma
Cricket Fiji
Makelesi Batimala
Athletics Fiji
Vuli Wara
Iosefo Romulo
United Blind Persons
Senimilia Seru
Etika Ve (Eve) Nagio
Fiji Association of the Deaf
Basera Ralingi
Psychiatric Survivors Association
3 members of the Psychiatric Survivors
Association
Mere Rodan
Sainimili Nauvolu
Spinal Injuries Association
23
Appendix 3: Key informant interview guide
Interview guide for key informant and stakeholder meetings
Introduction
We are here to seek your views about participation in sport and other physical activities amongst
people in Fiji. We are conducting this interview because you have been nominated as an important
person to provide information about the barriers and enablers for participation in physical activity
and to assist in the development of messages and strategies to promote greater levels of
participation in sport and other physical activities. This greater participation will help to reduce the
risk of non-communicable disease (NCDs). Could we please request 30-45 minutes of your valuable
time to seek your advice on how to move forward on this important area of health promotion and
NCD prevention for Fiji?
Role of key informant
1. Could you first tell us about how your work/ your role in the community relates to the
promotion of physical activity in Fiji?
I’d like to hear your thoughts about the main things that affect people’s interest or lack of interest in
participating in sport or other leisure-time physical activities in Fiji? And I’d like to ask you about any
factors you think may be different for men and for women.
Barriers - Women
2. Firstly, thinking about women in Fiji, what do you think are the main factors affecting
women’s participation in sport and other leisure-time physical activities?
3. What would you say are the most important reasons why women in Fiji may not participate
in sport or other leisure-time physical activities?
4. Can you identify particular barriers or factors that make physical activity participation
difficult or less appealing for women?
5. Are there different particular barriers or factors that make participation difficult or less
appealing for different groups of women? For example younger women or older women,
married women or single women, or women in urban areas compared with women in rural
areas?
Enablers/facilitators - Women
I’d like to also ask you now about your ideas for how participation in sport and other leisure-time
physical activities could be effectively promoted amongst women in Fiji.
6. In what ways do you think some of the barriers that you have mentioned about women’s
participation in sport and other leisure-time physical activities could be overcome?
7. Are there different strategies that would need to be used for the different groups of women:
younger women or older women, married women or single women, or women in urban
areas compared with women in rural areas?
24
Priority groups of Women
8. Which groups of women should be the highest priority for targeting strategies and programs
to increase their levels of physical activity? Why do you say that?
Messages - Women
9. What sorts of messages do you think would be most effective in encouraging these groups
of women to increase their participation in sport and other leisure-time physical activities?
Barriers – Men
10. Now, thinking about men in Fiji, what do you think are the main factors affecting men’s
participation in sport and other leisure-time physical activities?
11. What would you say are the most important reasons why men in Fiji may not participate in
sport or other leisure-time physical activities?
12. Can you identify particular barriers or factors that make physical activity participation
difficult or less appealing for men?
13. Are there different particular barriers or factors that make participation difficult or less
appealing for different groups of men? For example younger men or older men, married
men or single men, or men in urban areas compared with men in rural areas?
Enablers/facilitators - Men
I’d like to also ask you now about your ideas for how participation in sport and other leisure-time
physical activities could be effectively promoted amongst men in Fiji.
14. In what ways do you think some of the barriers that you have mentioned about men’s
participation in sport and other leisure-time physical activities could be overcome?
15. Are there different strategies that would need to be used for the different groups of men:
younger men or older men, married men or single men, or men in urban areas compared
with men in rural areas?
Priority groups of Men
16. Which groups of men should be the highest priority for targeting strategies and programs to
increase their levels of physical activity? Why do you say that?
Messages - Men
17. What sorts of messages do you think would be most effective in encouraging these groups
of men to increase their participation in sport and other leisure-time physical activities?
Community settings
18. (If community activities not mentioned) What do you think are some community activities
that could be undertaken to encourage greater engagement in participation in sport and
other leisure-time physical activities? (Probe) Any particular incentives?
25
Anything further?
19. Is there any other feedback that you want to provide us that may assist with identifying
effective ways to encourage greater engagement in participation in sport and other leisuretime physical activities?
26
Appendix 4: Group meeting discussion guide
Guide for small group discussions
(Record) LOCATION - DAY AND DATE
(Record) FGD NO. AGE, GENDER
Introduction


Warm Up (10 mins)
Create relaxed, chatty, informal environment.
We are just here to chat and get your opinions and views on an important community issue.
I'll be asking you some questions, but they are not hard questions. There are no right or wrong
answers – please feel free to speak openly, don’t be shy…
It’s very important that you talk honestly and openly –
We want to know what YOU think ….your individual views are important to us, so you should voice
your own opinions even if they are not the same as the person sitting next to you.
Explain about the other fieldworkers…
By the way, we will be taking some notes of this discussion … this is purely for our own use. We
record this information to help us remember what you said as it is difficult for me to take notes while
we are talking but we won’t be recording who said any particular point. We just want record what
views and ideas were expressed.
Warm-up
1.
Go around the group asking respondents to introduce themselves…..
 Name….just first name is fine……
on their lapel)
 Married, partner/kids?…
(Write it on name tag and have respondent stick it
27
PART ONE
Knowledge
Today I’d like us to talk about sport, physical activity and health.
2.
Do you know of any diseases that people can get from being overweight or inactive?
(Probe) Any others?
Personal Risk Perceptions
3.
Do you think that you or any of your family members – wife/husband, partner,
boyfriend/girlfriend might get any of these diseases?
Introduce topic of physical activity
For this next part of the discussion, l want to talk to you about leisure time physical activities and
playing sport.
Behaviour
4.
How much time do you usually spend during the week being active during your leisure
time or playing sport?
Attitudes
5.
Would you like to be more physically active?
6.
If yes? (would like to be more active) Why do you say that?
If no? (would not like to be more active) Why do you say that?
Perceived benefits of participation
7.
What do you think are the main benefits of being more physically active?
 [Health, Weight loss, Social]
Barriers to participation
8.
Is there anything that stops you being more physically active? What is that?
Is there anything else?
Enablers/facilitators
9.
What do you think you could do to change those things that are stopping you?
10.
What could others do to make it easier for you be more physically active? Government
Ministries or sports organisations or community groups do?
28
Partner and friend support
1.
Do you support your friends who aren’t active to be more physically active or to play
sport?
If yes: How do you do that?
2.
For men’s groups also ask: Do you support your girlfriend or wife/partner to be more
physically active or to play sport?
If yes: How do you do that?
PART TWO
A Messages
Now l want to show you some health messages and ask you what you think about them. There’s no
right or wrong answers here, I’m just interested to hear from you what you think about them and if
they feel relevant to you.
[Show Message 1 to participants and read the message out to the group.]
Then ask:
On a scale from 1 to 10 how would you rate this message as being effective in encouraging people
just like you to be physically active?
where 1 means not effective at all, 5 means moderately effective and 10 means very effective
[Note taker to record rating response from each participant for each message]
Would you say this message:
....was easy to understand?
…is relevant to you?
… makes you want to become more physically active?
[Explore these questions with the group – it’s not necessary to ask a response from every participant
for each question but please try to stimulate some discussion amongst the group about each of
these questions for each message so that we can gain an understanding about why people rate the
message highly or not.]
Repeat this process for messages 2, 3, etc. (Allowing approximately 4-5 minutes per message)
Rotation to avoid order effects: Three groups will show messages from 1 to x and other three groups
will show messages in the reverse order from x to 1.]
29
[Then place each of the messages from last question on the table and ask:]
Now looking at all these messages which 1 message would you pick as the strongest for you to make
you want to become more physically active.
Strongest message
And which other message would you say is the second strongest for you?
B Images [Rotated]
Next I’d like to show you some images that may be used with these messages that we have been
discussing.
Show Image 1 to participants and ask the group:



How would you describe what is happening in this image?
Is there anything you really like about this image? Is it relevant to you?
Is there anything you really don’t like about this image?
Show next image and so on…
Rotation to avoid order effects: Three groups will show messages from 1 onwards and other three
groups will show images in the reverse order.
C Brands
Now I’d like to ask you about some ideas for a brand or very simple name that could be used to
promote participation in sport and physical activities in Fiji.
[Then place each of the brands on the table and ask each participant:]

If you had to choose just one of these brands as being the best to promote greater
participation in sport and other physical activities in Fiji, which one would you choose?
[Note taker to record number of participants choosing each brand]
IF TIME PERMITS– explore decisions for why they chose a brand

What do you think is the main message that this brand is communicating? Is it relevant to
you?
[Repeat for next brand]
What do you think is the main message that this brand is communicating?
Who do you think this brand would be most appealing to? ………...e.g. younger people, older
people, just women, just men, just sporty people, everyone?
D Logo
Lay out the silhouette.
30
Explain that sometimes in promotions a company might put an image with a logo.
I want to show you something that might be used for a campaign…….
1.
2.
3.
4.
What do you think this logo is representing?
Would an image like this would work well in Fiji for promoting physical activity?
Why do you say that?
Are there any images not suitable or any images that are missing?
E Colour palettes
[Then introduce colours]
Finally I’d like to briefly discuss colours that may be used with campaign messages and images we
have been discussing today to promote participation in sport and other physical activities.
[Then place each of the colour palettes on the table and ask each participant:]

If you had to choose just one of these colour combinations to go with these messages and
images promoting greater participation in sport and other physical activities in Fiji, which
one would you choose?
[Note taker to record number of participants choosing each colour palette]
Thank the group, answer any questions if time permits and close.
31
Appendix 5: Materials tested in Phase 2
1. Simple health messages
i.
Be active every day for healthier life
ii.
Be active every day for a longer life
iii.
Be active each day in many ways, your way
iv.
Move more, sit less for better health
v.
It’s not too late to start moving now
vi.
Move more for your health and for your family
vii.
Get moving every day to avoid diabetes
viii.
Make time for your health, get moving every day
ix.
Keep strong, move more to live long
2. Images
i.
Images tested in both men and women’s group
Active walking together
32
Sports competitors with a disability
Diagnosis/diabetes
33
ii.
Additional images tested in women’s groups
Women walking in group
Active in sports (young women)
34
Active village women playing sport
Zumba™/aerobics
35
iii.
Additional images tested in men’s groups
Active in sports (young men)
Active older men - Community walk
36
Active older men - playing sport
3. Brand themes
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
Let’s get moving, Fiji
Move Fiji
Active Fiji
Come on Fiji, let’s move more
4. Branding graphic
Silhouette
37
5. Colour Palettes