About Active For Health

About Active For Health

Last updated

Overview

Active For Health is a toolkit of resources to help people living with chronic conditions be more physically active. It also has resources for health care professionals supporting these persons to live active lifestyles. 

Active For Health is unique because it offers high quality resources that support physical activity for general health and different types of chronic conditions. It also offers resources that support changing physical activity behaviour. The resources in the toolkit have been evaluated to ensure they provide useful and understandable information that aligns with evidence from health research.

How Active For Health was developed

The following diagram shows the process taken to develop the best possible toolkit. Over 100 volunteers participated in the development, including persons with chronic conditions (PWCC), health care professionals and researchers.

 

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Active For Health diagram

 

More information on the development of Active For Health is available at Physical Activity Support Kit Initiative (PASKI): Move More. Sit Less (University of British Columbia) and includes a: 

  • List of all persons with chronic conditions, health care professionals, researchers, and students who contributed to the development of Active For Health
  • Summary of the baseline survey to apparently healthy persons and persons with chronic conditions
  • Summary of the results from the baseline survey to health care professionals
  • Summary of the results from the survey regarding preferred websites and format for the toolkit

How resources were evaluated

Each resource was evaluated using the following tools and process:

  • The Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT) was used for resources created for apparently healthy persons and persons with chronic conditions.
  • A purpose-built assessment tool was used for resources created for health care professionals. This tool incorporated key features of the PEMAT, the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation II (AGREE II) Instrument, the 2009 National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Evidence and Grades Tool, and the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (ARHP) Resource Review Tool.
  • Training and practice sessions were provided for all those who contributed to evaluating the resources.
  • Two people independently evaluated each resource and, when there was a discrepancy in scores of greater than 20%, a third person evaluated the resource.
  • Please note, the purpose-built assessment tool was not used to evaluate resources from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) within the Health Care Professionals section of Helping You Make It Happen as these are peer-reviewed publications within ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal.

Steering committee

The Steering Committee sincerely appreciates the contributions of all persons with chronic conditions, health care professionals, researchers, and students who kindly gave of their time and talents to the development of Active For Health.

  • Dr. Marie Westby, PT Clinical Resource Therapist, Mary Pack Arthritis Program & Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, UBC
  • Dr. Lynne Feehan, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, UBC and Knowledge Translation Lead, BC SUPPORT Unit
  • Dr. Kimberly Miller, Senior Leader of Clinical Education and Special Projects, Sunny Hill Health Centre at BC Children’s Hospital and Adjunct Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, UBC
  • Dr. Zainisha Vasanji, Qualified Exercise Professional, Physical Activity Line & HealthLink BC Physical Activity Services
  • Chiara Singh, Clinical Supervisor, Physiotherapy, Surrey Memorial Hospital & Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, UBC
  • Gregory Noonan, Physiotherapy Practice Coordinator, Vancouver Coastal Health
  • Alison Hoens, Knowledge Broker & Clinical Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, UBC