Multi-Sectoral Partnerships for Physical Literacy: Setting the Scene for Evaluation

Area of Science:

• Community Health
• Public Health Interventions
• Program Evaluation

Background:

• The Physical Literacy for Communities (PL4C) project employs a participatory community mobilization strategy.
• Multi-sectoral, community-led tables were established to develop and promote physical literacy initiatives.
• A scale-up across Canada necessitated the design of an evaluation protocol for the PL4C intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design an evaluation protocol aligned with PL4C table processes and activities for intervention scale-up.
• To understand the functioning of the existing PL4C intervention.
• To explore the promotion of physical literacy within communities.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative interviews were conducted with 13 members of two original community tables.
• The study focused on understanding partnership operations, capacity building, and sustainability of multi-sectoral action.
• Findings informed the design of a comprehensive evaluation protocol.

Main Results:

• Three key themes emerged: collaboration, sustainability, and promoting physical literacy in diverse settings.
• Participants highlighted the importance of evaluating partnership dynamics and capacity building.
• Key areas for evaluation included sustainability of multi-sectoral action and program delivery effectiveness.

Conclusions:

• The study successfully designed an evaluation protocol for the PL4C intervention scale-up.
• The protocol incorporates milestone tracking, stakeholder interviews, surveys, and direct physical literacy measures.
• This evaluation framework will assess the effectiveness of PL4C interventions in exemplar communities.