Abstract
Exercise is Medicine® is a global health initiative that strives to bring physical activity (PA) research into practice by promoting PA as a chronic disease prevention and management strategy. The Exercise is Medicine® Canada on Campus (EIMC-OC) program was established in 2013 to foster inter-professional relationships between exercise and health care professional trainees, while providing opportunities for students to implement PA promotion initiatives in their campus communities. The EIMC national body was exploring strategies to facilitate the sharing of best practices and enhance communication amongst the 34 established EIMC-OC groups. Recently, casebooks have been gaining popularity as a knowledge translation (KT) tool. The purpose of the current project was to work in partnership with the EIMC-OC group members to compile information about the development, composition and experiences of the groups into a comprehensive casebook. Representatives from interested EIMC-OC groups completed a preliminary survey and participated in a semi-structured interview. Group profiles were created and verified by group representatives. The EIMC-OC KT Casebook includes detailed information about the structure, initiatives, barriers, facilitators, and lessons of 12 EIMC-OC groups from six provinces. The Casebook provides tangible examples of community-based efforts to promote PA within university and college communities. The Casebook will be disseminated to support the sustainability of EIMC-OC interventions by providing direction for current EIMC-OC groups and for students interested in implementing a new EIMC-OC group. In general, casebooks have the potential to serve as a KT tool for sharing ground level experiences and identifying potential program adaptations for multi-site programs.
