Global physical activity promotion through youth-engaged citizen science
Creators: name: Hinckson, Erica
name: King, Abby C.
name: Chaudhury, Moushumi
name: Chastin, Sebastien
name: Gardiner, Paul
name: Banchoff, Ann
name: Goldman Rosas, Lisa
name: Sarmiento Dueñas, Olga
name: Montes-Uniandes, Felipe
name: Odunitan-Wayas, Feyisayo
Publisher: name: The Health & Fitness Journal of Canada
Year: 2022

description: Purpose: To showcase the application of a systematic, community-engaged research that seeks to influence community-driven changes in local environments for engagement in physical activity. The research was conducted by the Our Voice (OV) Global Citizen Science Research Network, which currently involves 20 countries from six continents. Description: Youth from low-income, underserved communities represent a potentially powerful yet underutilized resource for community-engaged citizen science that can catalyze civic, scientific, and social engagement while improving health at a community level. In this symposium, we share results from Our Voice (OV) Global Citizen Science Youth Initiative. Chair: Professor Erica Hinckson. Introduction of Symposium. The Chair will briefly introduce the context and introduce the speakers. Presenter 1: Ann Banchoff. Our voice: Engaging youth as Citizen Scientists to advance health equity. This presentation will provide a brief overview of the OV Global Citizen Science Youth Initiative. The OV citizen science model is an evidence-based and scalable “bottom-up” research-to-action model that engages and empowers residents as change agents in their own communities. In this presentation, we will present results from projects that have engaged youth from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds focused on safe routes to schools (U.S.), healthy and active school environments (Colombia, South Africa), and intergenerational projects in which youth and older adults have worked together to improve walkability and safety in low-income neighborhoods (Mexico, U.S.). Presenter 2: Dr. Moushumi Chaudhury. Empowering children to influence changes in their school environment for learning, physical activity, health, &amp; well-being. This presentation will focus on results from the New Zealand project where children identified the environmental barriers and facilitators to being physically active and healthy at school. Using the OV protocol, youth collected meaningful information about their ‘local’ school environment, prioritised their concerns, interpreted data and engaged in conversations with the school’s principal, and Board of Trustees to generate practical solutions that impacted their school environment. Presenter 3: Professor Sebastien Chastin. Our voice: Co-benefits of environmental conservation and health. Exposure to blue space in urban environment is associated with better health outcomes, but with increase urbanisation and usage, blue spaces are also under environmental pressure. Our study explored how co-benefit between environmental conservation and health can be derived from youth group. A campaign of citizen science using the OV protocol was developed in youth clubs and primary school in North Glasgow within the canal corridor. Results: Outcomes to date from the projects have included increased rates of walking and biking to school among ethnically diverse elementary school children (U.S.); activation of the school community to reduce traffic and improve safety and infrastructure in and around schools for physical activity promotion (Colombia, South Africa); development of strategies to contain roaming dogs to promote neighborhood walkability (Mexico); promotion of active and healthy environments among students from low socio- economic schools by finding solutions to lack of play spaces, unusable open spaces and lack of fitness facilities (New Zealand); and the production of a short film that was presented to local town planners, councilors and the public around the enjoyment young people derive from being around green and blue spaces, littering, vandalism and the lack of investment of local authorities in maintaining these places (Scotland). Conclusions: Dr. Paul Gardiner. Activating youth across the socioeconomic spectrum as citizen scientists can complement “top-down” policy methods and create pathways that address the community drivers of physical activity in diverse regions globally contributing to the ultimate global goal of a 10% increase in physical activity by 2025. Funding: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Grant ID#7334, USA. South Sci of COMET, Curious Minds-He Whenua Hirihi i te Mahara and Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment, New Zealand. FAO is funded by NIHR (16/137/34) for Global Health Research Group and Network on Diet and Activity, NIH FIC D43TW010540 and OBSSR, UK. This symposium presents independent research funded by the above organisations. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care, UK; Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, USA; or MBIE, New Zealand.
description: The Health &amp; Fitness Journal of Canada, Vol. 14 No. 3 (2021): Proceedings from the 8th International Society for Physical Activity and Health Congress