Key points
- Community-wide campaigns to promote physical activity involve many sectors.
- These campaigns are highly visible with broad, multi-component strategies.
- See the approach, examples of what others have done, and resources.
Overview
Community-wide campaigns can promote physical activity by combining a variety of strategies. They may include media coverage and promotions, risk factor screening and education, community events, and policy and programmatic initiatives.
Community-wide campaigns are large-scale, highly visible activities that can be repeated. Communities can bring multiple sectors together and use tested communication techniques to encourage physical activity.
Approach
Events combined with multichannel messaging
Community-wide campaigns involve many sectors. They may include events such as walking groups at schools, workplaces, and malls. They may also include community health fairs that offer health risk appraisals, support groups, and physical activity counseling. These can be combined for a community physical activity campaign that includes promotion from multiple channels, such as:
- Television
- Radio
- Newspaper columns and inserts
- Trailers in movie theaters
Resources
Community Preventive Services Task Force recommendation
Events combined with multichannel messaging
Organizing an Effective Community-Wide Physical Activity Campaign: A Step-by-Step Guide
How to make events cost-effective and comprehensive to benefit many people across an entire community or region.
Sample campaigns
The following campaigns can be adapted for your use. They can be combined with events or community supports, such as risk factor screening and health education to promote physical activity.
Move Your Way
Promotional campaign for the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, second edition. Includes fact sheets, posters, videos, interactive tools, and web badges.
State and Community Health Media Center
Free and low-cost, audience-tested advertising and materials to support programs. Sample material includes:
- Active People, Healthy Nation – I Choose
- Active People, Healthy Nation – Make Your City/Town Your Gym
- Be More
- Eat Smart-Move More
- I Bike Boston
- What Moves You?
- Workplace Wellness
Items in the Media Center can be used to help address equitable and inclusive access to physical activity.
CDC VERB™ Campaign
Launched in 2002, this multicultural campaign aimed to increase and maintain physical activity among children 9 to 13.
Want additional tips and resources to be active?
Learn about Active People, Healthy NationSM, CDC’s national initiative to help people be more physically active.