Turn off the Screens and Get Active! Challenge 2005 Summary Report
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OVERVIEW
Developed by: Thunder Bay District Health Unit Partners: Take Heart Schools, Canadian Cancer Society Implementation: April 25 – 29th, 2005 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Goal To increase physical activity while reducing screen time among children. To promote the importance of an active lifestyle and the need to reduce screen time among parents. Activity A week long initiative which encourages children and their families to turn off their screens: television, video games and computers, and to get active instead. Objectives To encourage children and their families to spend their leisure time being active together. To increase awareness of how screen time affects physical activity levels. To provide families with tips on how to reduce screen time and opportunities to be active, including low cost and free community events. To increase awareness of the effect media has on eating habits. To increase awareness of healthy eating and beverage choices. Elementary school students in Thunder Bay and District and their families. Over 7,000 students from 26 local schools registered to take part. Media sponsors: Magic 99.9 Radio Station Chronicle Journal Canada Games Complex Thunder Bay Golf Dome Dreamfields Riding Centre Thunder Bay Hiking Association City of Thunder Bay Community Aquatics
Target Group
Participants Community Support
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Also supported by: Canadian Tire, Lakehead University Athletics, Thunder Bay Chill, Petrie‟s Cycle and Sport, Sears and Mario‟s Bowl.
Program Development
Letters to School Boards, Principals and School Councils Letters requesting board approval were sent. Letters were mailed to all schools, principals and parent councils, inviting schools to register for the challenge. School Package A Binder was sent to all registered schools. It contained: instructions on how to plan for the event, lesson plans to meet the curriculum for grades SK to 8, information for parents including newsletter inserts, tracking forms to chart activities done in place of screen time, and participation certificates. Each participating school received two to three posters for their building, and a list of free and low cost events scheduled for the week of the challenge. An announcement of an Active Family Photo contest. Healthy eating handouts. A list of Prizes for a random draw: o Mountain bike and safety accessories o Rollerblades with safety accessories o Ultimate Ball Prize Pack o Lakehead University Summer Basketball Camp o Thunder Bay Chill Soccer Package A package of variety of active prizes to be drawn in each participating school. Website New this year was the use of the www.tbdhu.com website to profile and promote the challenge. Several contacts and inquiries were received from the community as a result of the web site. Beverage Display Two new beverage displays were produced and used during Turn off the Screens after- school events. Healthy snacks like granola bars, fresh fruit and juices were also provided. This was made possible with new a partnership with the Regional Cancer Prevention & Screening Network and the Canadian Cancer Society‟s Project Funding. The additional funding was used in part to expand the event to include healthy eating messages. Healthy eating, increased physical activity through reduction of screen time, and resulting reduction of childhood obesity are important factors in prevention of many chronic diseases, including colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer rates in Northwestern Ontario are higher than the provincial average.
Poster Contest: As part of the Dougall Media 2005 Regional Skills Competition, the Health Unit challenged students in grades 1 through 8 to create a promotional poster for the Turn off the Screens and Get Active! Challenge 2005.
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Approximately 400 entries were received. All 9 winners (3 from each category) attended the Award„s Ceremony and were presented with medals and small incentives.
Parenting Campaign: Take a Break with your Kid. Turn off the screens. Get Active! A complimentary social marketing parenting campaign was planned to coincide with the Turn off the Screens and Get Active! Challenge. It consisted of transit ads, billboards and radio ads, locally and in the District. Youth Week 2005 Youth Week 2005 was Thunder Bay‟s first ever week long celebration of youth. The week coincided with the Turn off the Screens Challenge and many of the Youth Week‟s promotional materials also promoted the challenge and the after school events. Evaluations Teacher feedback forms were distributed to the leader contact in each school. Parent evaluation forms were distributed randomly. As incentives for completing the evaluations, Eat Smart! Restaurant gift certificates were offered.
Outcomes
Participation at the after school events Family Fitness at the Complex - 64 registered 2 swims for a loonie at the Complex - 515 123 attended the Golf Dome for mini putting 136 hiked at the Cascades 405 attended the free swims Results 26 local schools participated 7,000 tracking forms were distributed and 1,600 were returned completed (25%) 26 school packages were distributed 90 promotional posters were distributed 26 school prize packages distributed Media coverage included: a radio interview, 3 newspaper ads, 3 weeks for continuous radio ads, one newspaper article Evaluations returned: teacher and parent
“Turn Off The Screens” Challenge 2005
Teacher Feedback
Following this year‟s Turn Off the Screens and Get Active” Challenge, a teacher representative from each participating school was invited to provide feedback regarding their experience of being involved in the challenge. A total of 18 surveys were completed by teachers representing schools from the Lakehead District School Board and the Thunder
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Bay Catholic District School Board. There was a good representation of schools from both urban and rural areas. Teachers estimated the proportion of students at their school that participated in the Turn Off the Screens challenge. In 18% of schools, all students participated. On average, 41% of students took part in the challenge at each school. The majority of teachers (67%) reported that their school had been „somewhat‟ involved in the challenge. 17% of schools were very actively involved, and 11% had been minimally involved in TOTS activities. The challenge was promoted in schools through the use of posters, daily announcements, and daily ticket draws for prizes. Some schools held an assembly to kick off the week. In one school, special activities promoting fun physical activity were planned for each day of the week. In individual classrooms, teachers described using daily reminders, class discussions, and newsletters to parents to promote the challenge. Some teachers planned health lessons to support the theme of physically active living. Many teachers encouraged their students to think of alternative activities to screen viewing. As part of the Turn Off the Screens Challenge, teachers received a set of promotional and resource materials. All teachers (100%) found the TOTS posters helpful in supporting this initiative. There was also unanimous support for the list of alternative activities (50 Ways to Leave Your Sofa) that was included in the resource kit. 72% of teachers thought that the supplied parent information letters were helpful, and 61% of the teachers found the lesson plans helpful. Suggestions for improving the TOTS materials provided to schools included increasing the number of posters sent to each school, making the posters more colorful, including pictures of the incentive prizes on the posters, and leaving room for the school‟s name on the posters. In general, teachers believed that the materials they received were “well done” and described them as “great resources”. More than three-quarters of the teachers surveyed (76%) reported that this challenge was “very easy” to run. 12% of teachers found the challenge “somewhat easy” to implement, and another 12% experienced some difficulty in implementation. One in four teachers (25%) experienced some challenges running Turn Off the Screens in their schools. Problems included busy staff schedules, interference with other school activities, students‟ reluctance to go screen-free for 5 days, and the need for schools to contribute toward incentive prizes. Based on their experience this year, teachers provided some suggestions to improve the challenge in the future. These ideas included providing more incentive prizes for students, sending materials farther in advance, choosing a time that doesn‟t conflict with other school events, and providing a list of announcements that could be used by the school. Teacher feedback indicates that this initiative was well supported by elementary teachers in Thunder Bay. Every teacher who completed the survey (100%) believed that participating in the Turn Off the Screens and Get Active Challenge was beneficial to students at their school. All schools plan to participate in the challenge next year. “Our success was based on the extra added daily activities. Kids were very motivated to participate and win ballots for the daily prize draws. Enjoyed by students and staff…it was a great week!”
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“Many students were very keen about this challenge. They liked the fact that there were prizes too.” “Keep up the great work!” “Turn Off The Screens” Challenge 2005 Parent Feedback Following this year‟s Turn Off the Screens and Get Active” Challenge, parents were invited to share their children‟s experience being involved in the challenge. A total of 129 surveys were completed by parents of children attending a cross-section of schools from the Lakehead District School Board, the Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board, and Thunder Bay Christian School. 98% of respondents knew that their children had participated in the challenge. Almost all parents (85%) reported that they found the Turn Off the Screens parent materials helpful. 68% of parents had tried some of the activities provided in the TOTS Activities List with their children. A smaller proportion of parents (37%) indicated that their child had attended any special after-school activities that had been planned for the week of the challenge. The major short-term objective of this initiative, to reduce students‟ screen viewing time, seems to have been achieved. More than 95% of parents reported that their child had reduced the time he or she spent watching TV, using the computer or playing video games during TOTS week. As well, most parents believed that the benefits of TOTS week would continue after the challenge. 77% of those surveyed thought that their child will spend less time watching TV or other screens in the future. This initiative also aimed to increase the physical activity level of participating students. As students spent less time involved in sedentary activity, 88% of parents noticed that their children were more physically active during the week of the challenge. Again, parents believed that this improvement could be sustained: 86% thought that their child will be more physically active in the future. Parents were asked to consider the barriers to reducing their child‟s screen viewing time. Only 26% believed that a lack of other things to do was responsible for children watching TV or playing on the computer. Few parents (36%) thought that the cost of alternate activities was to blame. Almost half of all parents (47%) thought that lack of time or scheduling problems were a barrier to reducing screen viewing. The most commonly cited barrier was bad weather, reported by 61% of the parents surveyed. Other barriers to decreasing the time children spend in front of screens included the unavailability of after-school activities or recreation facilities near a family‟s home, parents being busy themselves, and difficulties in finding other activities that all family members could enjoy. Parents were asked to provide some information about their family‟s lifestyle. 40% of parents strongly agreed that physical activity is an important part of life for their family, and 57% agreed. A very small minority of parents did not agree that physical activity is important. This support for physically active living was echoed in parent‟s reports that they try to limit the amount of time their family watches TV or other screens. Only 8% of parents do not normally limit their children‟s TV viewing time. An encouraging result of this survey
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was the finding that most parents (88%) felt that their child’s participation in the Turn Off the Screens Challenge had increased their awareness of the impact of TV and other screens on their family’s activity level. The survey asked parents to describe their favourite and least favourite parts of the Turn Off the Screens Challenge. Many parents said that they enjoyed more “quality time” together as a family, playing games or reading books. Some children tried new activities that they normally wouldn‟t consider. Some parents enjoyed seeing siblings interact better, and numerous parents reported that their houses were more quiet and peaceful. Challenges faced by these parents included what to do if not all family members were participating, dealing with less-than-favourable weather conditions, and difficulty in getting children motivated without parental supervision. Suggestions for improving the challenge included making it longer and doing it more frequently. It was thought that a winter version of the challenge would encourage children to be more physically active in colder weather. Parents encouraged the expansion of the afterschool activities to include more venues across the city, and continuing to offer activities at reduced prices. These parents also saw potential for cooperation with other youth agencies and the volunteer sector in promoting the opportunities available to children in our community. “We enjoyed some of the activities that we normally only enjoy on weekends, we now go out a couple of times during the week!” “My kids realized that they can go without TV and computer.” “We spent more time together as a family.”
District Highlights
In Manitouwadge… As part of Turn Off the Screens Week, Manitouwadge Public School hosted a "Cream The Principal" event. Students and staff were challenged to answer skill-testing questions and those that were correct would get to cream the principal. The whole school gathered in the gym to watch the winners in action. Lots of action took place at the “Fun With The Seniors” Turn Off The Screens event. 27 youth 6 to 12 registered for an evening of pool, shuffleboard, checkers, cards, bingo, and bean bag toss. The Grandmas and Grandpas had just as much fun as the kids. A snack was provided and prizes donated by the Diabetes Program were drawn. Despite cool weather and a few flurries 80 youth and 33 adults came out to the Mystery Poker Walk on Wednesday, April 27th. Participants followed the clues to 5 stations to have their sheet stamped. Upon finishing they were dealt a poker hand. Prizes were available for the winning hands. There was a great turnout at the Turn Off the Screens “Family Badminton Night” sponsored by the Leisure Services Department. 55 youth and 18 adults participated in the fun activity.
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It was so busy that both the Auditorium and the Arena were opened up and all participants rotated every 10 minutes to give everyone a turn! 70 children aged 6 to 10 ran a Junior Firefighters Combat Challenge Course. They all received a certificate with their time and a red fire hat. The line-ups were huge but well worth the wait. The older youth age 11 and up ran the Firefighter Obstacle Training Course that was certainly a challenge for them. They also received a certificate highlighting their time. Activity books, safety information and brochures were available for all to take. Excellent job by the Manitouwadge Volunteer Firefighters! In Nakina… Nakina Forest Products donated $300, and the Kinsmen donated $50 towards purchasing of prizes. Three local stores supplied actual prizes, and the Golf Club provided 6 buckets of golf balls for use at the driving range.
In Marathon… In Marathon, the home hardware store gave a discount on the basketballs and volleyballs, which were purchased for prizes. In addition, the town of Marathon donated a free swim for the participating students.
Budget
Canadian Cancer Society: $6000.00
Expenditures: Branch Office prizes $394.69 Binders $83.59 Advertising (radio) $300.00 Refreshments $233.66 Take a Break with your Kid $2,000.00 Beverage displays $1,566.00 Incentives for evaluations and photo contest prize $225.00 Winner‟s ad (newspaper) $750.00 Total expenditures $5552.94 Refund to CCS Take Heart Schools: Expenditures: In school prizes Roller blades and safety accessories Total Expenditures ($447.06) $1000.00 $710.00 $142.66 $852.66
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Remaining funds
($147.34)
Thunder Bay District Health Unit: Operating budget: Printing
$1,500.00 $1,290.88 ($209.12)
Health Promotion budget: Water bottles
$545.60 $221.60 ($324.00)
In-kind contributions
Media Print: $3,630.00 Radio: $3,500.00 Prizes $1,395.00 Events $3,096.00 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Total in-kind $11,621.00
2005 Registrants Thunder Bay
1. Agnew H. Johnston 2. Algonquin 3. Bishop Gallagher 4. CD Howe 5. Five Mile 6. Fourway 7. Gorham and Ware 8. Heath Park 9. Holy Cross 10. Holy Family 11. Kakabeka Falls 12. Nor’wester View 13. Oliver Road 14. Rosslyn Village 15. Sherbrooke 16. Sir John A. Macdonald 17. St. Ann 18. St. Francis 19. St. Margaret 20. St. Martin 21. St. Paul 22. St Pius
Greenstone
Greenstone Christian Academy St Brigid’s Nakina Public School Notre Dame des Ecoles St. Joseph’s
Manitouwadge
Manitouwadge Public School Our Lady of Lourdes Ecole Publique
Marathon
Margaret Twomey Public School
Schreiber/Terrace Bay
Schreiber Public School Terrace Bay Public School
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23. St. Vincent 24. Thunder Bay Christian 25. Westmount 26. Whitefish Valley
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