Canada Fitness Survey III

The third wave of the Canada Fitness Survey is currently underway. Since 1981, this survey has been following a longitudinal panel of participants. In other words, the same participants were surveyed at several points in time.

The first wave was conducted in 1981 and is widely known as the Canada Fitness Survey. The second wave was conducted in 1988 and is better known as the 1988 Campbell Survey on Well-Being in Canada.

The current phase, which is being carried out throughout 2002, is entitled the Survey of Well-Being in Canada. The accompanying scientific study is entitled "Neighbourhood- and Individual-Level Determinants of Inequities in Physical Activity and Health: 20-year Follow-up of the Canada Fitness Survey (CFS) / Campbell Survey on Well-Being (CSWB) Cohort."

Methodology

Subjects. We have asked persons who participated in either the 1981 or the 1988 surveys to participate in the current survey. Their offspring who may not have been old enough to participate in 1981 or 1988 will also be asked to participate. Telephone contact is being made ahead of data collection to confirm the current address of participants.

Topics covered. The 2002 survey investigates current involvement in physical activity, as well as social and environmental supports that are available for physical activity involvement. Other lifestyle behaviours and general health and demographic questions are also asked so that we can examine trends over time. The survey’s goals are to

• better understand the evolution of patterns of involvement in physical activity in the Canadian population over a 20-year period and
• 
  find out how social and environmental supports are associated with physical activity and the long-term health outcomes of various lifestyle choices.

Collection method. Data will be collected via self-completed questionnaires. Data collection will be ongoing throughout 2002.

Expected completion and publication. While we expect to have collected the data by the end of 2002, it will take up to two years to process all the data and publish the results.

Related publications

Craig C.L., Gauvin L, Cragg S.E., Katzmarzyk P, Stephens T.M., Russell S.J., Bentz L., & Potvin L. Towards a Social Epidemiological Perspective of Physical Activity and Health: The Aims, Design and Methods of the Physical Activity Longitudinal Study (PALS). /JPAH/ 2005;3:272-84.