Table 1 Summaries of daily physical activity policy evaluations in Canada

Patton, 2012

ON

Implement

QUANT

Survey

Teachers (n = 145)

% implementation, implementation approaches, teacher’s perspectives (supports and barriers, attitudes)

45% often or always conduct DPA on days with no PE; 85% report sufficient resources and 89% report sufficient knowledge; 46% think DPA should be more structured; 65% reported lack of monitoring; 60% support DPA

Patton et al. 2014

ON

Implement

QUANT

Survey

Students (n = 146)

Implementation approaches, barriers, attitudes

46% reported DPA every day there is not PE; barriers: student disruption, withholding DPA as punishment; majority of students agree that there is enough space/equipment/time to do DPA every fday and majority enjoy it

AGO, 2013

ON

Implement

MIXED

Survey, interviews, document review

School boards (teachers and principals) (n = unknown)

Procedures for implementing, monitoring and measurement and reporting of DPA in schools

Neither the Ministry or school boards are monitoring implementation; majority of principals reported students not getting DPA; barriers: lack of time and space, focus on literacy

Strampel et al. 2014

ON

Implement

MIXED

Survey (with open-ended questions)

Teachers (n = 137)

Barriers and possible solutions to DPA implementation

Barriers: lack of time, resources, space, and staff and student buy-in; possible solutions: new games with minimal equipment, more indoor DPA activities, better infrastructure, more resources, whole-school DPA approach, student leaders/DPA role models, school-community links for DPA

Robertson-Wilson and Lévesque, 2009

ON

Implement

QUAL

Archival documents

N/A

Framework used to examine implementation approaches and challenges

DPA policy accounts for several factors (allocation of resources, task specification) important for implementation but not all (sustainability of resources, policy value, evaluation plans)

Brown and Elliott, 2015

ON

Implement

QUAL

Semi-structured interviews

Teachers (n = 14) and principals (n = 5)

DPA implementation approaches, facilitators, barriers, perceived outcomes, and suggestions for change

Approaches: multiple breaks, student-led activities, integration into other subjects; facilitators: staff support, available resources, training sessions; barriers: lack of time, space, equipment, training, student motivation, and monitoring; outcomes: increased focus, enjoyment, classroom environment; suggestions: whole-community approach, more space, resources, and monitoring

Rickwood, 2015

ON

Implement

QUAL

Semi-structured interviews

Teachers (n = 5) and school administrators (n = 4)

Perceived barriers, association between beliefs about DPA policy and student PA levels

Barriers: diminishing priority of DPA, used as a behavior management strategy, lack of student motivation

Allison et al. 2014

ON

Implement

QUAL

Semi-structured group and individual interviews

Central players in development and implementation of DPA (n = 10)

Factors influencing development and implementation, roles of key players, barriers, and current status of DPA

Issues of flexibility and accountability; several relationships to assist with implementation; barriers of tight timeline, lack of support, insufficient training, lack of facilities, space and equipment, poor weather, increased teacher burden, lack of accountability; inconsistent implementation and lack of evaluation plan

Gilmore and Donohoe, 2016

ON

Implement

QUANT

Survey

Teachers (n = 136)

Implementation status; perceived competence, motivation and skills to deliver DPA

46% of teachers reported that DPA is not being delivered; majority of teachers lack competence, motivation and skills to deliver DPA

Stone et al. 2012

ON

Combination

QUANT

Accelerometer and classroom schedules

Students (n = 856)

Total PA, frequency of DPA schedule, and quality, number and duration of sustained bouts of MVPA (≥5 min), BMI

Less than 50% get DPA every day, but for those that do they are more active, more likely to meet guidelines and less likely to be overweight; no child engaged in sustained MVPA for ≥20 min

Hobin et al. 2010

ON

Combination

QUANT

Survey

Students (n = 2379) and school administrators (n = 30)

Student-level (sex, grade, #PE classes/week, MVPA minutes) and school-level (intramurals and interschool programs, DPA implementation model) characteristics

70% of schools offered DPA only on days without PE; student PA levels were associated with PE frequency but not DPA implementation model

Kennedy et al. 2010

AB

Implement

MIXED

Interview or survey

Principals/vice-principals (n = 55) and PE teachers (n = 7)

DPA knowledge, % implementation, approaches, barriers

100% principals and teachers reported full implementation; 80% of schools provided daily PE

Alberta Education, 2008

AB

Implement

MIXED

Survey

Principals (n = 387) and teachers (n = 638)

Resources and supports for DPA, PE, DPA activities, attitudes, challenges, monitoring status

Positive perceptions of DPA, higher for principals; multiple approaches for implementation and challenges (scheduling, lack of facilities/space); 60% of principals monitor DPA

Watts et al. 2014^a

BC

Implement

QUANT

Survey

Principals (n = 351)

Environment changes; minutes of PE per week and delivery method of PE

≥150 min PE/week increased from 34.1 to 48.1% before and after implementation

Mâsse et al. 2013

BC

Implement

QUAL

Semi-structured Interviews

Principals (n = 17) and teachers (n = 33)

Perceived implementation, styles/change, factors that impeded or facilitated implementation of DPA

Perceived implementation varies between principals and teachers; prescriptive vs. non-prescriptive approach; major themes: relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, observability, facilitators (contextual factors)