Abstract
National movement behaviour guidelines, in isolation, are unlikely to influence practice or policy unless accompanied by robust knowledge translation (KT) efforts. However, without pairing KT with systematic evaluation, the impact of large-scale dissemination on the awareness and adoption of guidelines is unclear. The purpose of this study was to (1) assess the impact of the strategies used to disseminate the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Adults aged 18-64 years and Adults aged 65 years or older (24HMG) and (2) reflect on lessons learned to support future research and the meaningful dissemination of national movement behaviour guidelines. Intermediary organizations involved in the development and dissemination of the 24HMG were invited to participate in this study. A combination of methods - including cross-sectional online surveys, media monitoring, and website content analysis - were performed at various timepoints (pre-, 4-, 8-, and 12-months post-guideline release) to assess the impact of guideline dissemination on KT outcomes. Results demonstrated that dissemination activities performed by organizations peaked 4-months following guideline release (63%), trending downwards over time (53% at 12-months). Dissemination trends mirrored public exposure and engagement with guideline materials online (12416 mentions and 7.1 million users reached at 4-months). Similarly, guideline adoption peaked at 8-months with 60% of organizations posting the guidelines or related information on their websites. Findings highlight the value of engaging intermediary organizations that prioritize KT activities in the guideline development and KT process, and sustaining dissemination efforts over time to improve their impact on practice and policy.Acknowledgments: This work was made possible through funding provided by the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology. The authors would like to acknowledge the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Adults Consensus Panel and Knowledge Translation Advisory Committee members for their collaboration and contributions to this project.