Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #105783

John J.M. Dwyer, PhD¹, Kenneth R. Allison, PhD², Karen LeMoine, MSc³, Daria C. Lysy, MA², Edward M. Adlaf, PhD⁴, and Jack Goodman, PhD⁵. (1) Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition, University of Guelph, College of Social and Applied Human Sciences, Macdonald Institute Building, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada, 519-824-4120 ext 52210, dwyer@uoguelph.ca, (2) Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine, McMurrich Building, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada, (3) Peel Region Public Health, 9445 Airport Road, Brampton, ON L6S 4J3, Canada, (4) Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 33 Russell Street, Toronto, ON M5S 2S1, Canada, (5) Faculty of Physical Education and Health, University of Toronto, 55 Harbord Street, Toronto, ON M5S 2W6, Canada

The 2004 Chief Medical Officer of Health report specified that overweight and obesity are epidemic in the province of Ontario, Canada. It emphasized that students should have the opportunity to be physically active in the school environment. Our study was conducted in 2004 to examine opportunities for school-based physical activity in a random sample survey of 600 Ontario secondary schools. A principal or teacher in each school was requested to complete a questionnaire. Dillman's (2000) tailored design method was used to implement the survey. Multiple contacts with potential respondents, personalized cover letters, and a gift were used to maximize the response rate. Five multiple contacts were used: a pre-notification letter, a mailed questionnaire, a reminder postcard, another mailed questionnaire, and a couriered questionnaire. This yielded a 79% response rate. Preliminary analysis indicated that physical education was offered in 97% or more of the grade levels (9-12). 66% and 97% of the schools had an intramural and inter-school sports program, respectively. Respondents reported that, even when offering an intramural program, factors made it difficult for their school to provide intramurals: supervision issues (87% of respondents), timetable (72%), funding (71%), staff morale (68%), facilities (60%), resources (58%), teacher training (50%), and safety issues (46%). The percentage of schools that had specific facilities or programs available either on-site or off-site for students were: indoor gym (99%), playing fields such as soccer fields (98%), public health programs (80%), ice rink (68%), swimming pool (50%), and playground (27%). Implications of the results will be discussed.

Learning Objectives:

• To describe how Dillman's (200
• tailored design method was used to maximize survey response rate.
• To identify opportunities for school-based physical activity that secondary schools in Ontario have and don't have.

Keywords: Physical Activity, Adolescents

Related Web page: www.phs.utoronto.ca/activeyouth/

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.