The “On the move, at school!” measure has been implemented in the province of Québec for the last two years to offer a variety of interventions targeting youth physical activity. Its objective is to support school teams undertaking a shift in practices, both at the organization and intervention levels, so that all students engage in physical activity for at least 60 minutes every school day. Nearly 550 schools are currently implementing this new measure, which represents 32% of all primary schools in Québec. These 60 minutes of daily physical activity are added to the weekly scheduled 120 minutes of the Physical Education and Health program. Every school implementing this measure must designate a leader whose mandate consists of ensuring the project implementation, and supporting school teams promoting physical activity among students. As experts in motor skills development and healthy lifestyle promotion, and because of their presence in every primary school in Québec, the Physical Education and Health teachers have been primarily identified to play this new role. Over a five-year period (2018–2023), in the context of implementing this measure, the government intends to document the process in a number of primary schools (n = 20). This collaborative research project was initiated with my colleagues Félix Berrigan and Sylvie Beaudoin along with Tegwen Gadais from the Université du Québec à Montréal. It will describe the implementation process of this measure while a financial allowance is provided to schools during the first three years, and will describe the preferred sustainability actions when funding is no longer available (the two subsequent years). We will certainly have the opportunity to present the data related to this new research project during the next scientific activities of AIESEP. If you are involved in a project related to the implementation of school-based physical activity interventions, we could certainly share our expertise.
sylvain.turcotte@usherbrooke.ca
