Increasing opportunities for movement in Nova Scotia, Canada: a community case study

Rural and aging populations in Nova Scotia experience high burdens of chronic disease linked to insufficient physical activity and excessive sedentary time. Communities on the Move (CoM) is a four-year (2022-2026) community-wide initiative designed to increase opportunities for low-barrier, less-structured movement (e.g., walking, wheeling, cycling, gardening, etc.) through policy, built-and socia-environment actions and cross-sector partnerships.

To describe the CoM Phase 1 actions across four Nova Scotian communities, detail the participatory evaluation approach, and share early implementation insights.

CoM applies a socio-ecological and participatory approach. Four communities were selected via a competitive application process assessing readiness and investments for active transportation. Communities received funding, communication support, and access to a multisectoral network to develop and implement action plans. A multi-phase, mixed-methods evaluation (Phase 1: Fall 2022-Spring 2023) tracked activities and outcomes.

Phase 1 findings show that three communities formed leadership teams, delivered social programs, improved infrastructure, and initiated a public engagement campaign to promote a culture of movement. One community experienced a delay in leadership formation due to staff leave; however, existing leaders and partners were leveraged to drive project actions. Feedback from communities shows early indicators that CoM has strengthened community capacity for cross-sector collaboration and resource mobilization.

This community case study offers guidance for others to consider when implementing and evaluating community movement initiatives. Early findings align with existing evidence which suggest that pairing environmental changes with social supports and sustained partnerships to be feasible and promising for implementation potential in rural, aging contexts. Phase 1 evaluation concentrated on process outputs that establish the groundwork for future outcome assessments. Subsequent phases will build on these foundations to further examine changes in movement behaviors, participation, and community capacity.