July 8, 2024
VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL
Dr. Kieran Moore
Chief Medical Officer of Health
Ministry of Health
Box 12, Toronto, ON
M7A 1N3
Dear Dr. Moore:
Re: Physical Literacy for Communities: A Public Health Approach
At its meeting on May 16, 2024, the Board of Health carried the following resolution #34-24:
WHEREAS according to ParticipACTION’s Report Card on Physical Activity for adults: only 49% of Canadian adults ages 18-79 years get at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per week. Only 17.5% of children were getting at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every dayi; and
WHEREAS higher levels of certain physical literacy attributes in childhood—specifically physical competence, motivation, and knowledge—were associated with increased physical activity levels in later years or during adulthoodii; and
WHEREAS the Board of Health for Public Health Sudbury & Districts approved the Physical Literacy for Healthy Active Children (motion #29-22) which recognized that physical literacy sets the foundation for physical activity participation throughout life; and encouraged all area school boards, sport and recreation organizations, and early learning centres to work collaboratively to improve physical activity levels among children and youth across Sudbury and districts.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Board of Health for Public Health Sudbury & Districts endorses the Physical Literacy for Communities: A Public Health Approach as an exemplary guide for public health professionals to work collaboratively and efficiently within a multi-sector, community-based partnership to address physical literacy.
The Board of Health for Public Health Sudbury & Districts is pleased to endorse the Physical Literacy for Communities: A Public Health Approach as an exemplary guide for public health professionals to work collaboratively and efficiently within a multi-sector, community-based partnership to address physical literacy. The document provides ways in which public health can work with other sectors (e.g., education, sport, and recreation) toward building a physically literate community.
The document was developed based on Public Health Sudbury & Districts’ experience implementing the Physical Literacy for Communities (PL4C) strategy in partnership with Active Sudbury under the guidance of Sport for Life. The Physical Literacy for Communities: A Public Health Approach provides recommendations that public health agencies can help to implement to support a multi-sector strategy that builds a more physically literate community.
We hope this document encourages other communities and public health units to begin or continue their journey in becoming a physically literate community.
Thank you for your attention to this important issue.
Sincerely,
René Lapierre
Chair, Board of Health
M. Mustafa Hirji, MD, MPH, FRCPC
Acting Medical Officer of Health and Chief Executive Officer
cc: Ian Culbert, Executive Director, Canadian Public Health Association
Susan Stewart, Chair, Health Promotion Ontario
Dr. Tamara Wallington, Chief Health Promotion and Environmental Health Officer, Public Health Ontario
Richard Way, Chief Executive Officer, Sport for Life
Drew Mitchell, Senior Director of Physical Literacy, Sport for Life
Association of Local Public Health Agencies
All Ontario Boards of Health
i ParticipACTION (2022), Pandemic-Related Challenges & Opportunities for Physical Activity. Retrieved from: https://www.participaction.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Report-Card-Key-Findings.pdf
ii Lloyd, M., Saunders, T. J., Bremer, E., & Tremblay, M. S. (2014). Long-term importance of fundamental motor skills: A 20-year follow-up study. Adapted physical activity quarterly, 31(1), 67-78. https://doi.org/10.1123/apaq:2013-0048