Public Lecture on Youth Activity
Dr. James Sallis Jr., an international expert in the field of physical activity among youth and children, will be giving a public lecture tonight, April 9, in Halifax.
The lecture, titled Research-Based Approaches for Promoting Youth Physical Activity, will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Westin Nova Scotian Hotel, 1181 Hollis St. It is being hosted by Dalhousie University and the Nova Scotia government.
Dr. Sallis, from San Diego State University, will be speaking at the plenary session of a two-day working forum on measuring physical activity among children and youth in the province.
The forum is the result of a partnership formed by the government of Nova Scotia and the School of Health and Human Performance at Dalhousie University in response to a government-set goal: to increase by 10 per cent the physical activity levels of children and youth by the year 2003.
To measure the efficacy of any interventions in achieving such an objective, it is necessary to gather baseline data. The two days of workshops following Dr. Sallis's lecture will focus on how to do this in the most efficient manner.
"Inactivity levels of children and youth in Nova Scotia are among the highest in Canada, and government is taking action to address this problem," said Robbie Harrison, Minister responsible for Sport and Recreation. "Having an expert like Dr. Sallis speak on this issue will provide valuable insight and direction."
"To begin, we must establish reliable methods of measuring activity levels, because only then can we accurately monitor change," said Dr. Larry Maloney, co-chair of the School of Health and Human Performance. "We look forward to hearing Dr. Sallis's views."
Dr. Sallis will speak about activity in the context of school, family, health care, and community-based approaches. He will be available for interviews after the lecture.
The Nova Scotia Sport and Recreation Commission, the departments of Education and Culture and Health, and Health Canada are sponsoring the lecture and forum with Dalhousie University.