On November 14, 2004, the Government of Québec launched a vast program to promote physical activity and healthy eating under the theme « Do It for You! ». The main purpose of this program is to foster awareness among families and youth of the benefits of physical activity and healthy eating on a daily basis.
International public health and health promotion authorities have declared that sedentariness is a significant risk factor for health. The aging of the population, increasing automation and passive recreation are all general trends that promote sedentariness. For the sedentary individual, increasing their level of activity even slightly accomplishes a great deal, considering the resulting benefits. In fact, several studies indicate an association between physical inactivity and a number of health problems including heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia and colon cancer. Broad-scale mobilization is imperative to significantly improve the situation and ensure that a larger number of Québec citizens adopt a physically active lifestyle.
Kino-Québec is a government program in existence since 1978. It is managed by three partners: the Secrétariat au loisir et au sport of the Ministère des Affaires municipales, du Sport et du Loisir, the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux and the regional health and social services boards. Its mission is to promote a physically active lifestyle in order to contribute to the well-being of the population of Québec. Kino-Québec’s implementation is based on a novel approach that calls on local organizations to play a leadership role, while providing them with support. The provincial and regional organizations influence each other both in planning and in implementing initiatives.
By 2010, Kino-Québec’s objective is to reduce from 46% to 41% the percentage of Québec residents aged 15 and older who are not engaging in enough recreational or other physical activity for it to have a positive impact on their health (a relative decrease of 10%, which corresponds to the Canadian objective).
More specifically, Kino-Québec will orient its activities to decrease the prevalence of sedentariness in the following three age groups: youth aged 10 to 19, adults aged 25 to 44 and adults aged 55 and older.
Moreover, from now until 2005, Kino-Québec has decided to prioritize two particular groups: youth aged 10 to 19 and adults aged 25 to 44. By making these two groups a priority, Kino-Québec is demonstrating its intention to prevent or delay as much as possible the gradual decline in physical activity, a phenomenon that appears with the onset of adolescence in part of the population.
The Kino-Québec program is based on inter-ministerial collaboration, networking, initiatives with target populations, broadening the reach of programs through participating partners, publicity campaigns and the establishment of environments that promote physical activity. This is a proven approach, which health promotion experts have confirmed is very effective. The strategies employed by Kino-Québec—the creation of environments that promote physical activity, supported by publicity campaigns—are recognized as effective in the literature and applied in other industrialized countries. In fact, studies show that promoting physical activity is effective when it involves a series of strategies that target both individuals (to motivate them to change their behaviour) and their physical and social environments.
For more information, visit the Kino-Québec
Website at: http://www.kino-quebec.qc.ca
(in French only)