Motivate

- The Early Years
(1973-1979)
- Don't Just Think About it - Do It
(1983-1984)
- Body Break
(1989-1991)
- Vitality
(1991-1995)
- Sharing A Healthier Future
(1996-1998)

Mobilize

- ParticipACTION Saskatoon
- CrownLife ParticipACTION Challenge

Educate

- Healthy Active Living
(Older Adults)

- Fitness: The Facts
(Workplace)

- Project APEX
(Children)

- Promotions
(1972-79)
- Promotions
(1980-86)

Impact

- International Involvement
- Canadian Public Health Association Supplement

Structure

- Historic Timeline
- People
- Sponsors

The Early Years
- The 60 year old Swede

Author Peggy Edwards relates the story behind “The 60-year-old Swede” in the Canadian Public Health Association special supplement on ParticipACTION.

"The 60 year old Swede message, really became the point at which we had a major breakthrough in the conscience of Canadians."

In 1972 ParticipACTION’s national coordinator, Russ Kisby, was reviewing a book by Dr. Roy Shephard (University of Toronto) on international fitness comparisons. Swedes ranked at the top and Canadians were well down the list. In particular, he noticed that some Swedish men at age sixty had the same fitness level as some Canadian men aged thirty. Then Director General of ParticipACTION , Keith McKerracher, immediately seized on the opportunity to meld these two ideas.

McKerracher created a 15-second television public service announcement (PSA) showing a 60-year-old Swede jogging effortlessly beside a puffing 30-year-old Canadian. This message was shown only six times during Canadian Football League games in 1973.

The outcry was immediate and even sparked a debate in parliament. Canadians were alarmed and embarrassed. The message dramatized the poor fitness level of Canadians so effectively that it became the cornerstone of a new fitness movement. The 60-year-old Swede proved to be a powerful communications concept that influenced social norms – in the short term through public debate, and in the long term because it remained a memorable “hot spot” over decades.

 

 

Description:The 60 year old Swede
Public Service Announcement
Duration: 0:15
Date:
1973
Author: ParticipACTION

Description:Swede Radio Ad
Duration: 0:30
Date:
1973

Description:President Russ Kisby discusses the famous 60 year old Swede TV ad.
Duration: 2:27
Date: December 2003

Description:President Russ Kisby discusses the repercussions of the Swede on future campaigns and messages.
Duration: 3:28
Date: December 2003

 

 

 

 

   

Home Page

Motivate

The Early Years (1973-1979) | Don't Just Think About it - Do It (1983-1984) | Body Break (1989-1991)
Vitality (1991-1995) | Sharing A Healthier Future (1996-1998)
Mobilize
ParticipACTION Saskatoon | CrownLife ParticipACTION Challenge
Educate
Healthy Active Living (Older Adults) | Fitness: The Facts (Workplace) | Project APEX (Children)
Promotions (1972-79) | Promotions (1980-86)
Impact
Public Surveys | International Involvement | Canadian Public Health Association Supplement
Structure
Historic Timeline | People | Sponsors