Global physical activity promotion through youth-engaged citizen science
Symposium A2
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14288/hfjc.v14i3.469Keywords:
Environment, Physical Activity, Youth, Citizen Science, InterventionAbstract
Purpose: To showcase the application of a systematic, community-engaged research that seeks to influence community-driven changes in local environments for engagement in physical activity. The research was conducted by the Our Voice (OV) Global Citizen Science Research Network, which currently involves 20 countries from six continents.
Description: Youth from low-income, underserved communities represent a potentially powerful yet underutilized resource for community-engaged citizen science that can catalyze civic, scientific, and social engagement while improving health at a community level. In this symposium, we share results from Our Voice (OV) Global Citizen Science Youth Initiative.
Chair: Professor Erica Hinckson. Introduction of Symposium. The Chair will briefly introduce the context and introduce the speakers.
Presenter 1: Ann Banchoff. Our voice: Engaging youth as Citizen Scientists to advance health equity. This presentation will provide a brief overview of the OV Global Citizen Science Youth Initiative. The OV citizen science model is an evidence-based and scalable “bottom-up” research-to-action model that engages and empowers residents as change agents in their own communities. In this presentation, we will present results from projects that have engaged youth from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds focused on safe routes to schools (U.S.), healthy and active school environments (Colombia, South Africa), and intergenerational projects in which youth and older adults have worked together to improve walkability and safety in low-income neighborhoods (Mexico, U.S.).
Presenter 2: Dr. Moushumi Chaudhury. Empowering children to influence changes in their school environment for learning, physical activity, health, & well-being. This presentation will focus on results from the New Zealand project where children identified the environmental barriers and facilitators to being physically active and healthy at school. Using the OV protocol, youth collected meaningful information about their ‘local’ school environment, prioritised their concerns, interpreted data and engaged in conversations with the school’s principal, and Board of Trustees to generate practical solutions that impacted their school environment.
Presenter 3: Professor Sebastien Chastin. Our voice: Co-benefits of environmental conservation and health. Exposure to blue space in urban environment is associated with better health outcomes, but with increase urbanisation and usage, blue spaces are also under environmental pressure. Our study explored how co-benefit between environmental conservation and health can be derived from youth group. A campaign of citizen science using the OV protocol was developed in youth clubs and primary school in North Glasgow within the canal corridor.
Results: Outcomes to date from the projects have included increased rates of walking and biking to school among ethnically diverse elementary school children (U.S.); activation of the school community to reduce traffic and improve safety and infrastructure in and around schools for physical activity promotion (Colombia, South Africa); development of strategies to contain roaming dogs to promote neighborhood walkability (Mexico); promotion of active and healthy environments among students from low socio- economic schools by finding solutions to lack of play spaces, unusable open spaces and lack of fitness facilities (New Zealand); and the production of a short film that was presented to local town planners, councilors and the public around the enjoyment young people derive from being around green and blue spaces, littering, vandalism and the lack of investment of local authorities in maintaining these places (Scotland).
Conclusions: Dr. Paul Gardiner. Activating youth across the socioeconomic spectrum as citizen scientists can complement “top-down” policy methods and create pathways that address the community drivers of physical activity in diverse regions globally contributing to the ultimate global goal of a 10% increase in physical activity by 2025. Funding: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Grant ID#7334, USA. South Sci of COMET, Curious Minds-He Whenua Hirihi i te Mahara and Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment, New Zealand. FAO is funded by NIHR (16/137/34) for Global Health Research Group and Network on Diet and Activity, NIH FIC D43TW010540 and OBSSR, UK. This symposium presents independent research funded by the above organisations. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care, UK; Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, USA; or MBIE, New Zealand.
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2021 Erica Hinckson, Abby C. King, Moushumi Chaudhury, Sebastien Chastin, Paul Gardiner, Ann Banchoff, Lisa Goldman Rosas, Olga Sarmiento Dueñas, Felipe Montes-Uniandes, Feyisayo Odunitan-Wayas
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Terms of Publication
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the Health & Fitness Journal of Canada’s right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
- The Contributor (author(s)) represents and guarantees that the Contributor is the sole proprietor of the work and the Contributor has full power to make this Agreement and grant that the work does not infringe the copyright or other proprietary right of any other person; and the work contains no libellous or other unlawful matter and makes no improper invasion of the privacy of any other person. The Contributor also represents and is responsible for the accuracy of the work.
- The Contributor will read, correct, and return promptly galleys and page proofs to the Editor (or designate). The Contributor will be responsible for the completeness and accuracy of these corrections. If the Contributor does not return galleys and page proofs within the schedule agreed upon with the Editor (or designate), the Publisher may proceed without the Contributor corrections.
- When applicable, the Contributor agrees to obtain written permissions and letters of agreement for all matter contained in the work that is protected by existing copyright, paying any permission fees for the use of text or illustrations controlled by others, and furnishing the Publisher with written evidence of the copyright owner’s authorization to use the material.
- When applicable, the Contributor agrees to obtain written permission for inclusion of any photographic materials involving a human subject, and provide the Publisher with written evidence of the subject’s authorization to use this material. In the case of subjects who have not reached the age of majority, the Contributor agrees to obtain and furnish the Publisher with written permission from the parent and/or legal guardian.
- The Contributor may draw on and refer to material in the work in preparing other articles for publication in scholarly and professional journals and papers for delivery at professional meetings, provided that credit is given to the work and to the Publisher.
- This agreement may not be changed unless the Contributor and the Publisher agree to the change by means of a formal addendum signed by the Contributor and the Publisher’s representative.
- This agreement shall be construed and governed according to the laws of the province of British Columbia and shall be binding upon the parties hereto, their heirs, successors, assigns, and personal representatives. Should any formal proceedings related to this agreement be brought, such formal proceeding may be brought only in the province of British Columbia.
By submitting an article to the Health & Fitness Journal of Canada the Contributor has accepted and agreed to all terms outlined in the copyright notice.