Most Scottish children fail to meet recommendations for physical activity and diet, and the prevalence of overweight and obesity is twice as high as in 1990.  This is a public health crisis, but with adverse effects beyond health, for educational attainment, the economy, and the environment. Tackling the crisis requires the engagement of many sectors of society, which in turn requires synthesis and dissemination of knowledge from research and public health surveillance beyond academia.  An excellent model of knowledge exchange of the kind required in Scotland exists in Canada, the Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card (AHKC), published as an annual ‘state of the nation’ report since 2005.  The AHKC focuses exclusively on physical activity, is aimed at the general public, health policymakers and practitioners, and has been pioneered by Professor Mark Tremblay.
The main objectives of this programme were to develop and launch the first Active Healthy Kids Report Card for Scotland. The Active Healthy Kids Scotland Report Card 2013 was developed based on the Canadian model, with input from Prof Tremblay, in the period March-September 2013. The Scottish card was launched in October 2013. Development of the Scottish card required the identification and synthesis of relevant Scottish data, the establishment of a group of individuals/organisations to help produce and disseminate the card, and the formation of a network of individuals and organisations to help sustain the Active Healthy Kids Scotland Report Card beyond 2013. Additional aims of the programme were: to extend the 2013 Scottish card beyond the Canadian model by including diet, and overweight and obesity, and to link Scotland to the emerging international Active Healthy Kids Network.