Promoting physical activity through local community programs

Five Victorian councils ‘activated’ under-used public spaces within local communities to increase physical activity opportunities and social connection.

Download: 2016 Community Activation Report: Evaluation report (4MB)

Embedding physical activity into regular daily life is one way to promote good health and prevent chronic disease, especially as less than a third of Australians currently engage in sufficient physical activity to provide health benefits.

The Community Activation Program was an innovative VicHealth initiative that aimed to assist less-active people to become more active. We partnered with Brimbank City Council, Golden Plains Shire Council, Latrobe City Council, Melton City Council and Melton Shire Council who were supported by total VicHealth funding of around $240,000 to transform and activate local spaces over 12 months between June 2015 and end of June 2016.

A total of 430 activities were successfully delivered through the Community Activation Program over the five spaces, involving 23,830 participants in planned and unplanned activities, and encouraging their ongoing physical activity.

Nine out of ten community members surveyed felt that the space transformed through the program made it easier to be physically active and to be more socially connected within their community and two out of three said that they intended to remain more physically active.

This evaluation report includes:

• Achievements
• Council experience and project learnings
• Case studies
• Recommendations

The evaluation was developed in partnership with The Change Collective.