Ontario's daily physical activity policy for elementary schools: is everything in place for success?

OBJECTIVES The development, implementation, and evaluation of policies may play an important role in promoting health behaviours such as physical activity. The Ontario Ministry of Education (OME) recently mandated Memorandum No. 138 requiring daily physical activity (DPA) for Ontario elementary students in grades one through eight. The purpose of this paper is to examine implementation strategies. METHODS Hogwood and Gunn's 10 preconditions for "perfect implementation" are used to examine publicly available Ministry DPA policy documents to assess whether these implementation strategies have been considered in the policy documents. RESULTS Several preconditions (e.g., allocation of resources, task specification) appear to have been considered, however a number of preconditions (e.g., the sustainability of resources, extent to which the policy is valued, and evaluation plans) thought to be important require additional attention to ensure optimal DPA implementation. CONCLUSIONS Additional reflection upon Hogwood and Gunn's implementation preconditions would, in our opinion, assist in facilitating optimal DPA implementation as per Memorandum No. 138.