July 2020

Ask Crystal Watson how play has changed for African Nova Scotian girls over the past 30 years, and the answer is startling. “We don’t know,” says the PhD in Health candidate, recreation therapist and Executive Director for Recreation Nova Scotia. “The majority of the literature doesn’t talk about childhood through an Afrocentric lens, so we just don’t have that research.”

A national survey commissioned by ParticipACTION and led by Dr. Sarah Moore shows that restricted access to playgrounds, schools, childcare, playdates, and instructions to “stay home” have made it more challenging than ever for kids to develop and maintain healthy movement behaviour habits.