From laboratory to community: Three examples of moving evidence-based physical activity into practice in Canada.

Physical activity (PA) is important for enhancing and sustaining people's health and well-being. Although a number of efficacious PA interventions have been developed, few have been translated from research into practice. Consequently, the knowledge-to-practice gap continues to grow, leaving many individuals unable to access evidence-based PA opportunities. This gap may be particularly relevant for those who grapple with poor health due to intrapersonal, interpersonal, cultural and system-level barriers that limit their access to evidence-based PA opportunities. Implementation efforts designed to bring research into real-world settings may bridge the knowledge-to-practice gap. Yet, cultivating quality partnerships and ensuring effectiveness, methodological rigour and scalability in real-world settings can be difficult. Furthermore, researchers seldom publish examples of how they addressed these challenges and translated their evidence-based PA opportunities into practice. Herein, we describe three cases of successful PA implementation among diverse populations: (a) individuals affected by cancer, (b) adults living with prediabetes, and (c) children from under-resourced communities. Commonalities across cases include guiding theories and frameworks, the strategies to facilitate and maintain partnerships, and scalability and sustainability plans. Practical tips and recommendations are provided to spur research and translation efforts that consider implementation from the outset, ultimately ensuring that people receive the benefits PA can confer.

The influence of junior coaches on club members in the Start2Finish Running & Reading Club: A qualitative study.

INTRODUCTION: This study's purpose was to explore youth leaders' involvement and influence on younger program participants in a physical-activity-based positive youth development program (PA-PYD). METHODS: A case study was conducted where 16 youth leaders (8 males, 8 females, Mage = 13.37, SD = 1.36) and 15 program participants (8 males, 7 females, Mage = 10.53, SD = 1.12) from four sites of a PA-PYD program in Canada participated in one-on-one semi-structured interviews regarding their program experiences. A deductive-inductive thematic analysis was conducted. RESULTS: Five themes were identified: (a) learning and building skills, (b) receiving support, (c) enjoyment, (d) relatability, and (e) challenges faced. Program participants shared several ways in which the youth leaders they interacted with had a positive influence on their personal experiences. The youth leaders' perceptions largely aligned with those of the program participants. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides insight into the value that youth leaders can bring to youth programming.

Factors involved in patients' perceptions of self-improvement after chronic pain treatment.

BACKGROUND: Patients' self-reported levels of improvement after having attended a chronic pain management program can provide a subjective rating of how successful they perceive they were at accomplishing their goals in the program. Past studies have demonstrated that successful patients differ from less successful ones on several cognitive-behavioral factors such as coping strategies over physical characteristics such as pain intensity. AIMS: This study explored factors that determine patients' perceptions of self-improvement after undergoing chronic pain treatment in a pain management program. METHODS: Participants (n = 174) underwent a 4-week, interdisciplinary, multimodal, chronic pain management program at a hospital located in southern Ontario. Questionnaire packages that evaluate pain intensity, pain-related disability, emotional distress (e.g., depression, anxiety, catastrophizing), acceptance of pain (activity engagement and pain willingness), readiness to change, and use of adaptive or maladaptive coping strategies were completed by patients at admission and discharge. Participants were grouped into one of three categories depending on their rating of self-improvement on the Self-Evaluation Scale (SES). The groups were compared on the magnitude of change they reported on the variables mentioned above. RESULTS: Changes in emotional distress, general health, readiness to change, activity engagement, and adaptive coping strategies (e.g., task persistence, pacing, and seeking social support) were significantly associated with differences in ratings of self-improvement. CONCLUSIONS: This study provided insight into what patients value most when rating their self-improvement, which can then be used to facilitate increased patient success and satisfaction with treatment.

Contexte : Le niveau d'amélioration autodéclaré par les patients après avoir participé à un programme de gestion de la douleur chronique peut fournir une évaluation subjective du succès qu'ils perçoivent avoir obtenu pour atteindre leurs objectifs dans le cadre de ce programme. Des études effectuées par le passé ont démontré que les patients qui ont eu du succès différent de ceux qui ont eu moins de succès en ce qui concerne plusieurs facteurs cognitivo-comportementaux comme les stratégies d'adaptation, plutôt que des caractéristiques physiques comme l'intensité de la douleur.But : Cette étude portait sur les facteurs qui déterminent les perceptions des patients en ce qui concerne l'amélioration de leur état après avoir été soumis à un traitement pour la douleur chronique dans le cadre d'un programme de gestion de la douleur.Méthodes : Les participants (n = 174) ont participé à un programme de gestion de la douleur chronique interdisciplinaire et multimodal d'une durée de quatre semaines dans un hôpital situé dans le Sud de l'Ontario. Au moment de leur admission au programme et au terme de celui-ci, les patients ont répondu à des questionnaires évaluant l'intensité de la douleur, l'incapacité liée à la douleur, la détresse émotionnelle (ex.: dépression, anxiété, dramatisation), l'acceptation de la douleur (engagement dans des activités et volonté de ressentir la douleur), la disposition au changement et l'utilisation de stratégies pour s'adapter ou ne pas s'adapter. Les participants ont été répartis en trois catégories selon l'évaluation qu'ils faisaient de l'amélioration de leur état à l'aide d'une échelle d'autoévaluation. L'ampleur du changement déclaré par chacun des groupes a été comparé pour chacune des variables susmentionnées.Résultats : Les changements dans la détresse émotionnelle, la santé générale, la disposition au changement, l'engagement dans des activités et les stratégies d'adaptation (ex. : la persistance dans les tâches, le rythme et le recours à du soutien social) ont été associés de manière significative à des différences dans l'évaluation de l'amélioration personnelle.Conclusions : Cette étude a permis de mieux comprendre ce que les patients valorisent le plus lorsqu'ils évaluent l'amélioration de leur état, ce qui peut par la suite être utilisé pour accroître le succès du patient et sa satisfaction à l'égard du traitement.Abbreviations PSOCQ: Pain Stages of Change Questionnaire; CPAQ: Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire; PIS: Pain Intensity Scale; PDI: Pain Disability Index; PCS: Pain Catastrophizing Scale; PRIME-MD PQ: Patient Questionnaire of the Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders; CAS: Clinical Anxiety Scale; CES-D: Center for Epidemiological Studies­Depressed Mood Scale; CPCI: Chronic Pain Coping Inventory; SES: Self-Evaluation Scale.