OBJECTIVE
To examine physical activity levels of Canadians that will permit the comparison of activity levels over time, sports participation, and furthermore will examine physical activity and sports opportunities available in Canadian communities.
RESEARCH PROPOSAL
The 2016-2017 Physical Activity Monitor (PAM), specifically, will examine physical activity levels of Canadians and will permit the comparison of activity levels over time, sport participation, and furthermore will examine physical activity and sport opportunities available in Canadian communities, such as availability, usage, and satisfaction with places to walk or bicycle, trails, green spaces, and other types of facilities to be active. In addition, perceptions of barriers to participation and factors which encourage physical activity will be explored.
The PAM provides trend line data to determine whether levels of physical activity and sports participation, as well as factors influencing participation in the Canadian population, are increasing, decreasing or staying the same. Ongoing monitoring programs like the PAM also measure whether the activity levels reported by respondents are sufficient for a healthy lifestyle.
The 2016-2017 Physical Activity Monitor (PAM) will be conducted by telephone, as all previous PAM’s have been. The Physical Activity Monitor survey (PAM) was previously completed by participants in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR) in 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2015. This current version of the PAM is a repeat of content from previous years along with some additional items.
Respondents to the PAM will be asked to complete a telephone survey using a structured questionnaire. The telephone interview will be on average 20 minutes.
A random telephone sample of about 4,000 participants who are 18 years of age and older, living in the 10 provinces and 3 territories will be asked to complete a telephone survey of approximately 20 minutes duration on average. Approximately 250 interviews will be conducted in the NWT. The survey will be conducted in English or French depending on the preference of the participant.
A randomly generated sample of telephone numbers will be used as a surrogate for a list of households. The list of telephone numbers will be produced using modified random digit dialing sample (RDD) procedures. This method ensures that the sample includes both listed and unlisted telephone numbers. Telephone numbers randomly generated in this manner provide greater confidentiality for the respondents than using numbers from a telephone book.
Where an address for the telephone number can be obtained ISR will send a letter in advance addressed to the household. The letter will contain information about the anticipated telephone call, contact information for the Principal Investigators, a statement that the research has been approved and participation is voluntary, and contact information for York Human Research Participants Committee (HPRC).
The research team will call the selected telephone numbers during the day, evening, and weekends, over each month of the study. About one-fifth of the interviews will be completed on the first telephone call attempt to the households. About 75% of the interviews will be completed after five or fewer telephone call attempts. Telephone numbers that are "never answered" or "always provide a busy signal" will be called many times over the course of the project. If the interviewer reaches a potential respondent at an inconvenient time they will attempt to schedule a "call back" at a time more suitable to the respondent. Most other households that refuse the interview will be contacted a second time to see if, at this later date, they are more interested in completing the survey.
Telephone numbers for households that ask to be taken off of the list (or any other mention where a respondent mentions a "do not call list" in Canada) will have their number placed in an inventory of DO NOT CALL numbers which will never be released to other ISR studies.
In each household, contacted by interviewers, the respondent is randomly selected from persons 18 and older, residing in the household. The selection of the respondent is made by first determining if an individual 18 years and older has answered the telephone, then determine the total number of family members 18 years and older in the household, then randomly selecting one qualifying respondent from within the household using the Most Recent Birthday method.
All reports prepared with data from the Physical Activity Monitor are freely available on the Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute's (CFLRI) website www.cflri.ca. Respondents who request a copy of the report will be directed to the website. Where possible, an advance letter will be sent to households randomly selected to participate in the research project. The advance letter provides information about the CFLRI, the website where reports are available, and contact information for the Principal Investigators.
The fieldwork for this study was conducted from June 20, 2017, to December 31, 2017.
View on the Aurora Research Institute Database.
RELEVANT LINKS
- Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute. (n.d.). 2014-2015 Physical Activity Monitor bulletins. Retrieved March 24, 2018, from http://www.cflri.ca/pub_page/329