Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

The majority of Canadians are not engaging in substantial health promoting physical activity, and therefore not receiving the vast health benefits of physical activity including improved cardiovascular health and psychological status and reduced risk of osteoporosis and Type II diabetes. The reasons for non-participation in physical activity are complex; however, possessing strong motor skills has been linked to increased physical activity participation. Improving motor skills among Canadian children may increase participation rates in physical activity, thus improving the population's health status. To do this, children must receive high-quality instruction from well-trained program leaders; however, the traditional face to face staff training is likely unfeasible on a widespread scale. This research will examine a telephone based training and support service, the Physical Activity Line, in comparison to a traditional training program to determine if similar outcomes of improved motor skills and increased participation in physical activity can be met. Enhancing the quality of after school programs throughout Canada should provide a significant step forward in reducing physical inactivity, and the related poor health outcomes in our population.