There is limited evidence and a lack of robust interventions that examine the impacts of  physical activity on health and fitness status in the Canadian Indigenous population .
Vali date d , culturally relevant tools for measuring physical activity may aid in program evaluation and focused educational material s could better support population health initiatives .
The Indigenous population of Canada faces an increased burden of chronic disease , leading to decreased life expectancy .
Physical activity is an important health behaviour that improves chronic disease risk factors and physical fitness .
The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate physical activity interventions in the Indigenous population in Canada to determine effects on physical activity rates , physical fitness , and health outcomes .
Effectiveness of community-directed diabetes prevention and control in a rural Aboriginal population in British Columbia, Canada.
This report presents the process and summative evaluation results from a  community-based diabetes prevention and control project implemented in response to the increasing prevalence and impact of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus ( NIDDM ) in the Canadian Aboriginal population . The 24-month project targeted the registered Indian population in British Columbia 's rural Okanagan region . A participatory approach was used to plan strategies by which diabetes could be addressed in ways acceptable and meaningful to the intervention community . The strategies emphasised a combination of changing behaviours and changing environments . The project was quasi-experimental . A single intervention community was matched to two comparison communities . Workers in the intervention community conducted interviews of individuals with or at risk for diabetes during a seven-month pre-intervention phase ( n = 59 ) . Qualitative analyses were conducted to yield strategies for intervention . Implementation began in the eighth month of the project . Trend measurements of diabetes risk factors were obtained for ' high-risk ' cohorts ( persons with or at familial risk for NIDDM ) ( n = 105 ) . Cohorts were tracked over a 16-month intervention phase , with measurements at baseline , the midpoint and completion of the study . Cross-sectional population surveys of diabetes risk factors were conducted at baseline and the end of the intervention phase ( n = 295 ) . Surveys of community systems were conducted three times . The project yielded few changes in quantifiable outcomes . Activation of the intervention community was insufficient to enable individual and collective change through dissemination of quality interventions for diabetes prevention and control . Theory and previous research were not sufficiently integrated with information from pre-intervention interviews . Interacting with these limitations were the short planning and intervention phases , just 8 and 16 months , respectively . The level of penetration of the interventions mounted was too limited to be effective . Attention to process is warranted and to the feasibility of achieving effects within 24 months
There is limited evidence and a lack of robust interventions that examine the impacts of  physical activity on health and fitness status in the Canadian Indigenous population .
Vali date d , culturally relevant tools for measuring physical activity may aid in program evaluation and focused educational material s could better support population health initiatives .
The Indigenous population of Canada faces an increased burden of chronic disease , leading to decreased life expectancy .
Physical activity is an important health behaviour that improves chronic disease risk factors and physical fitness .
The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate physical activity interventions in the Indigenous population in Canada to determine effects on physical activity rates , physical fitness , and health outcomes .