Promotion of Physical Activity in Rural, Remote and Northern Settings in Canada

Our built, social, and natural environments affect how we engage in physical activity.

Imagine how your ability to participate in physical activity would change if you lived in a rural or remote community!

Published information about the unique opportunities and challenges these communities face in promoting physical activity is limited.  Together with community partners in the Northwest Territories, we conducted an evidence synthesis in 2015 to assess the state of the research evidence on this topic.

Here are some highlights of what we found:

• Knowledge sharing was a high priority. Sharing evidence with communities will help inform the work of practitioners and policymakers. Practitioners and policymakers also have much to learn from communities about may and may not be appropriate for them.
• There is a gap in current knowledge. Future research should be conducted in authentic and respectful partnership with rural, remote, and northern communities.

Following the evidence synthesis, the partnership hosted a consenus conference involving community members, researchers, practitioners, and policy experts to identify priorities for rural, remote, and northern communities.

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