The CIHR Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes is pleased to announce this request for participation in a Strategic Working Alliance Team (SWATeam) to develop Canada on the Move: Step One (CMSO). Participants will contribute to the creation and development of the CMSO a web-based research platform to capture data from an upcoming "natural experiment". This natural experiment will result from the distribution of more than 800,000 pedometers to the Canadian public beginning December 2003. An extensive marketing campaign linked to the pedometers will be launched December 12, 2003, continuing into January 2004.

Timeline

• Deadline for receipt of proposals: September 16, 2003
• Notification of decision: No later than September 19, 2003
• Mandatory SWATeam meeting in Toronto, ONT: Sept 28-30, 2003
• Web-site launch date: December 5, 2003

Objective of the Request for Participation

The objective of this request for participation is to identify researchers and others with the necessary expertise interested in participating in a multidisciplinary SWATeam to guide the creation and development of a web-based research platform. The platform will be designed to capture self-reported data from individuals interested in "donating their steps" to health research.

The SWATeam must establish the web-interface by Dec 5, 2003, when distribution of more than 800,000 pedometers to Canadians will begin with their insertion into boxes of cereal.

Background

Over the course of 2003, the staff and Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes have been involved in many discussions about healthy living and INMD's strategic priority in obesity and healthy body weight research. One product of these discussions is a unique opportunity to work with a food industry partner on the creation of a research platform to investigate the impact of a large "natural" experiment resulting from the partner's distribution of step counters by inserting more than 800,000 into boxes of cereal.

The decision to insert the step counters in cereal boxes was made by the company over the summer and the decision to develop a partnership with CIHR was made in early August 2003. Since the timeline for the first phase of development of the research platform is dictated by the plan to insert the pedometers in cereal boxes by mid December 2003, many processes are happening in parallel.

To date the following progress has been made:

• The CIHR and industry partner have agreed to include the following wording on the back of the cereal box containing the pedometer: "Join Canada on the Move and donate your steps to health research! Visit www.canadaonthemove.ca  to learn more, and if you choose, take part in a national research project organized by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Help make a difference in the health of our nation."
• The industry partner will distribute more than 800,000 pedometers and 3 million messages encouraging Canadian's to take more steps. Pedometer distribution will begin mid December 2003; associated advertising will begin January 1.
• An Advisory Board including expertise in health promotion research, behavioural evaluation, ethics, and industry partnerships, has been formed to help guide the initial phase of project development. The CMSO Advisory Board will conduct the review of applications in response to this RFP and selection of SWATeam members.
• This RFP was created and is being distributed widely to ensure an open and transparent process for engagement of health researchers and other experts on this project. Selection for participation on the SWATeam entitles the selected applicant to apply their research or other expertise to the development of this unique research platform. People with expertise in diverse fields such as communications, ethics, epidemiology, health promotion, program evaluation, knowledge translation, database management and development, and many others are encouraged to apply. Travel related expenses will be reimbursed. SWATeam members will also have priority access to the data that becomes available through the platform. Budgets for development related expenses will be considered after the scope of work is defined.
• The name Canada on the Move: Step One has been adopted for the project for several reasons. There is considerable similarity between the social marketing message of the natural experiment and the messaging of America on the Move - a national, grassroots initiative in the USA that provides simple, actionable solutions to managing weight. Use of a name associated with a third party will help to minimize the potential perception that CIHR is in any way endorsing the product of the industry partner. Use of Canada on the Move provides the future opportunity to develop a larger health promotion campaign in parallel to America on the Move.

Eligibility Criteria

This request for participation is open to all applicants and is NOT restricted to researchers in Canada or those working at specific types of institutions.

Researchers with expertise in many of the following areas will be needed to ensure the successful completion of this project:

• Monitoring physical activity
• Web-based data collection and intervention
• Program Evaluation
• Community-based intervention
• Research platforms
• Epidemiology
• National registries, e.g. maintenance of long-term weight loss
• Current pedometer interventions in Canada
• Ethics
• Website creation
• Communications
• Knowledge Translation

Applications are not limited to individuals working in these areas and applicants are encouraged to think broadly about how their research interests and/or expertise may be relevant to this project.

Individuals will be selected for participation in the SWATeam based on a short proposal (maximum 3 pages) that describes the expertise the applicant will bring to CMSO and the applicants ideas on what can be accomplished in Step One. Applicants may also wish to describe their vision for expansion of the research platform beyond December 2003.

Selection Process

Proposals will be evaluated by the CMSO Advisory Board that has been formed to help guide the CMSO project from its inception. The Advisory Board will put together a SWATeam composed of:

• Outstanding individuals with the expertise necessary to design and develop the CMSO web-based research platform
• Researchers with academic interests that will ensure the research platform data and the CMSO project are fully researched and evaluated.

CMSO Performance Measurement and Evaluation

CIHR is committed to informing Canadians about the performance of our initiatives and the results they deliver. Given the unique nature of this project to establish a multidisciplinary health research platform, we also encourage researchers interested in evaluating the CMSO initiative to submit applications for participation. We anticipate this effort may serve as a model for future development of health research platforms designed to capture useful information from other large-scale natural experiments.

Specific Conditions of Participation

Selected SWATeam members must also indicate their availability during the critical period of CMSO design and development. Due to the timing of the natural experiment, the CMSO project must adhere to a rigid schedule. It is mandatory for successful applicants to attend a SWATeam meeting in Toronto, Ontario on September 28-30. Applicants must indicate their availability to attend all or part of this meeting, to participate in teleconferences and to work on the project during the months of October to December 2003.

How to Apply

Each application must consist of:

• A brief proposal (3 pages maximum) that describes
  • ideas for design, development and evaluation of the CMSO project
  • relevance of expertise and how it could be applied to this project
  • thoughts on expansion of the research platform beyond December 2003
• Curriculum vitae
• A statement of availability to attend the September 28-30 SWATeam meeting in Toronto, Ontario and to work on the project between October and December 2003.

One original and one electronic copy of all materials are required. Only complete applications will be considered.

Send Applications by Courier to:

CIHR Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes
Simon Fraser University
8888 University Drive
Burnaby, British Columbia
Canada V5A 1S6

Send electronic copy to:

mailto:inmd@sfu.ca

Contact for Further Information

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact INMD Staff:

Diane Finegood
Scientific Director
Email: finegood@sfu.ca

Susan Crawford
Assistant Director
Email: susan_crawford@sfu.ca

Institute of Nutrition Metabolism and Diabetes
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6

Telephone: (604) 268-6707