"This was our 5th Healthy Active Kids South Africa Report Card, and it is encouraging to see the growing number of countries that have become involved in the Global Matrix. Much work still needs to be done to understand physical activity and sedentary behaviour, and the environmental factors these in low- and middle-income countries, where these behaviours remain low on the priority list, but nevertheless have an important impact on the health and development of children and adolescents in these countries."

Estelle Lambert, Ph.D. and Catherine Draper, Ph.D.
Report Card Leaders for South Africa

"I have been involved with the Global Matrix since it began in 2014. We have come a very long way in a short time- the growth in both the number of countries and the range of countries we now have in the matrix (in terms of the wide range of culture, stages of economic development, and geography) is impressive, and shows that our ambition of creating a global movement back in 2014 has been realised. This wide range of circumstances in which children grow up across the globe means that the global matrix provides unique evidence on what is effectively a vast natural experiment in physical activity and health of children and youth. I am convinced that lessons learned from the natural experiment can be put to good use in increasing physical activity levels and decreasing levels of sedentary behaviour across the globe."

John Reilly, Ph.D.
Report Card Leader for Scotland

"Being a part of the Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance and the Global Matrix 3.0 give me hope for kids today and in the future. The willingness and want of all of us to work together in such a collaborative way is a true testament to the leadership of Mark, Joel and Salome (our Canadian powerhouse). I feel that we are so close to a tipping point when it comes to getting kids more active and I think that the Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance might just push us over the edge!"

Natasha Schranz, Ph.D.
Report Card Leader for Australia

"Active healthy kids are the corner stone for building healthy productive nations. Active Healthy Kids Report Card helps us to move from theory to practice."

Izzeldin EL Jack Ibrahim, Ph.D. and Abdulla Saeed Al-Mohannadi, MSPH, B.Sc. (Hons)
Report Card Leaders for Qatar

"We are honoured to be part of the AHKGA 3.0 in Adelaide. The Report Card initiative is a great tool to sensitise countries around the world about the importance of physical activity and the necessity of actions against inactivity."

Yolanda Demetriou, Ph.D.
Report Card Leader for Germany

"The Global Matrix 3.0 has been an incredible opportunity to collaborate with researchers and academics around the world. It has been a challenging and exciting experience that we hope will influence not only government policy but also how the public views physical activity in our children and adolescents. We believe that the comparisons with other countries will provide a great opportunity to learn from the successful efforts of other nations to promote active and healthy lifestyles among children and adolescents."

Chiaki Tanaka, Ph.D.
Report Card Leader for Japan

"The AHKGA Global Alliance 3.0 initiative has been a great opportunity for me to be part of an international movement with physical activity leaders from 49 countries working on getting kids active all over the world. The experience and motivation gathered in the process will kick-start a more focused and knowledge-based national advocacy and efforts for more active kids."

Bilyana Mileva
Report Card Leader for Bulgaria

"It has been a real pleasure working with not only a grest local team but with a wonderful global one, and an extraordinary leadership group including our wondeful mentor. This is a motivation to continue working for the wellbeing of Venezuelan kids as well as for the kids around the world. It allowed us to find hidden "jewels" of commitement and work in the middle of a very difficult environment. I am porud of what can be done with so little, which tells that we need passion to keep the quest for quality of life and wellbeing for all! #ProudtobePartofGLOBALHEALTHYactiveKIDS #PROUDofGlobalMATRIX3.0"

Marianella Herrera, M.D.
Report Card Leader for Venezuela

"Wales have thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance 3.0. It has been inspirational to work with colleagues across Wales to co-create our Active Healthy Kids Wales physical activity report card. Alongside the 48 other countries, we will generate the impact needed to help increase children’s physical activity and decrease their sedentary behaviours!"

Gareth Stratton, Ph.D. and Lowri Edwards, Ph.D. and Richard Tyler, Ph.D.
Report Card Leaders for Wales

"It has been a fascinating learning experience for the Bailiwick of Guernsey to be part of the AHKGA Global Alliance 3.0 initiative. There is a growing understanding of the importance of physical activity for young people locally and it is reassuring and inspiring to work alongside a range of like-minded global partners."

Alun Williams
Report Card Leader for Guernsey

"The Global Matrix 3.0 has been a unique opportunity to work together with senior and junior physical activity leaders from all over the world, in the pursuit of solutions for common challenges in the promotion and study of physical activity among children. This network of researchers and practitioners is providing a great opportunity for capacity building and is a pleasure to be part of this effort!"

Silvia González, M.P.H., Ph.D. candidate
Report Card Leader for Colombia

"For me, participating in the Global Matrix 3.0 has been an amazing and enriching experience. As this is the second time, that we have participated, the collaborations and networking opportunities have been remarkable. I am very grateful to be part of this global effort to get kids moving."

Taru Manyanga, Ph.D. candidate and Daga Makaza, Ph.D. candidate
Report Card Leaders for Zimbabwe

"Participating in the AHKGA Global Alliance 3.0 initiative encouraged researchers, policy makers and practitioners to collaborate more and to further bridge the gap between science, policy and practice."

Jan Seghers, Ph.D.
Report Card Leader for Belgium (Flanders)

"Building active future for our (Lithuanian) children together with the rest of the world is a great opportunity and honor. Together we can do more than alone. Collaboration is inspiring. "

Arunas Emeljanovas, Ph.D.
Report Card Leader for Lithuanian

"Being part of the AHKGA Global Alliance 3.0 initiative has been a rewarding and productive experience."

Juan Lopez, Ph.D.
Report Card Co-Leader for Mexico

"Thai Health Promotion Foundation recognizes the importance of promoting health for children and youth because kids are our future. Being a part of the AHKGA Global Alliance 3.0 helps us to understand the current state of physical activity of our children. By joining the movement also enables us to expand the opportunities to learn from 49 member countries and develop the best models and policy to promote physical activity for our children and youth."

Pairoj Saonuam, Ph.D. and Piyawat Katewongsa, Ph.D.
Report Card Leaders for Thailand

"It has been an honour and privilege to contribute to the Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance 3.0 initiative. The collective efforts of those within the 49 participating countries to energise and support children to “move more for longer” are highly impressive. In terms of England, our first Report Card appeared in 2014. In this short timeframe, the Active Healthy Kids approach has become central to our national physical activity surveillance efforts. In addition to assessing and monitoring changes in national physical activity levels, there is still much practical work to be done. Here, the Report Card approach represents a wonderful advocacy tool to guide national efforts to improve the physical activity levels and health of our children and youth."

Martyn Standage, Ph.D.
Report Card Leader for England

"It has been a pleasure and a privilege to be a part of the AHKGA Global Alliance 3.0 initiative. Great work and let’s try to make a difference!"

Jorge Mota, Ph.D.
Report Card Leader for Portugal

"This is such an important activity - we know how important physically active lifestyles are for children and youth, and being able to take stock and benchmark how we are doing on a regular basis, nationally and internationally is extremely helpful to identify areas to target and advocate for change."

Melody Smith, Ph.D.
Report Card Leader for New Zealand

"It has been a great experience working with such a wonderful group of people through the Global Matrix 3.0 initiative. We need to build upon the platform Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance (AHKGA) has created and fulfil our commitments towards an active healthy childhood for every kid around the world." -

Asaduzzaman Khan, Ph.D.
Co-Report Card Leader for Bangladesh

"I am very pleased and privileged to be a part of the AHKGA Global Matrix 3.0 initiative, which provided us with a unique opportunity to showcase physical activity status in children and youth in Bangladesh. The country Report Card will help us to advocate for increasing physical activity opportunities to make our kids more active."

Riaz Uddin, Ph.D.
Co-Report Card Leader for Bangladesh

"It has been a privilege to be a part of the group of the more than 500 people from around the world who are keen on make world better through their enthusiasm to get children and youth more physical active."

Aleš Gába, Ph.D.
Report Card Leader for the Czech Republic

"I enjoyed every minute of the work leading the Swedish Report Card team for the Global Matrix 3.0. This was the second time for us and now we know how to do it! All team members have already said yes to the 4.0 version and are eager to start. I am also very impressed with the organization with all 49 countries. There is a great potential with this network- together we have the possibility to improve children’s health."

- Marie Löf, Ph.D. and Christine Delisle Nyström, Ph.D.
Report Card Leaders for Sweden

“Ghana has demonstrated commitment to promote and support the ‘movement to move’ as best as it can for the past 5 years - through participating in AHKGA Global Alliance. We are reaching more instructors, children and youth, researching barriers to participation and providing ways to minimize the barriers.”

Reginald T. Ocansey, Ph.D.
Report Card Leader for Ghana

"Thanks to this experience, I can see not only knowledge gaps about physical activity but also I can see the gaps in connections between the needs of society, what the academy researches do and what policies the government implements in Ecuador. Now, I have a new and wider view of the Ecuadorian context related to physical activity."

Susana Andrade, Ph.D.
Report Card Leader for Ecuador

"It has been a pleasure to become part of the global community in promoting physical activity in children and youth. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing the smile on children’s face when they are participating in physical activity and sport. Together we can make the world healthier and happier."

Chen-Kang Chang, Ph.D. and Ching-Lin Wu, Ph.D.
Report Card Leaders for Chinese Taipei

"This is the first time Nepal participated in Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance Global Matrix 3.0 development process and it has been a wonderful experience working in collaboration. We believe, this initiative is crucial for understanding the activity levels of our kids, identify the research gaps and work together to get the kids more active."

Narayan Subedi, Ph.D. Candidate
Report Card Leader for Nepal

"Our participation in the AHKGA Global Matrix Report Cards continues to be a remarkable experience. It has been exciting to work with a wide range of stakeholders from different sectors to develop the second Hong Kong Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth."

Stephen H.S. Wong, Ph.D., FACSM, R.Nutr. and Wendy Yajun Huang, Ph.D.
Report Card Leaders for Hong Kong

"It has been a pleasure and an honor to take part of this great project. Thanks to that participation, Uruguay has established a start point to get children and youth more active. Being part of this project has allowed to connect people and join efforts to achieve the same aim around the world."

Javier Brazo Sayavera, Ph.D.
Report Card Leader for Uruguay

"Leading the Brazil’s Report Card has been a privilege since it represents a constant effort to seek the best evidences for physical activity indicators in children and young. The AHKGA Global Alliance 3.0 initiative is a pioneer in the health care of children and young around the world and presents physical activity as a key part of children's health care!"

Diego Augusto Santos Silva, Ph.D.
Report Card Leader for Brazil

"It is so wonderful to be part of the global movement to move children!"

Tim Takken, Ph.D.
Report Card Leader for the Netherlands

"It has been a great experience for me as a first timer working with the AHKGA Global Alliance 3.0 initiative, I have learnt a lot through the collaboration. Being kept on my toes with deadlines helped me not to lose focus especially with all the other stuff that we have to do at our jobs. It has grown me as a leader of the team and has been an eye opener to a very important area of research that has been neglected in the country. It has been a great and fruitful journey for me."

Dawn Tladi, Ph.D.
Report Card Leader for Botswana

"Our experience in the AHKGA Global Alliance 3.0 initiative gets an A. Being part of this initiative has helped consolidate the Mexican Report Card as a comprehensive physical activity surveillance tool."

Karla Galaviz, Ph.D.
Report Card Co-Leader for Mexico

"The researchers and advisors who worked hard for the evaluation of physical activity of children and adolescents for Global Matrix 3.0 come to mind. The fact that we were able to compare and contrast these results and common problems with other countries around the world was interesting and it was extremely meaningful to be able to check the current status of physical activities in our own country and consider methods for future improvement."

Yeon Soo Kim, Ph.D.
Report Card Leader for South Korea

"Being part of the Global Matrix since 2016, we have been extremely fortunate to witness the growth of this international alliance. We experienced not only the cross-country exchange of knowledge first-hand, but also were able to establish a Canadian-Indian research collaboration to address gaps in evidence using innovative methods."

Tarun Katapally, M.S., Ph.D. and Jasmin Bhawra, Ph.D. Candidate
Report Card Leaders for India

"It has been an honor to lead the development of Lebanon’s first physical activity report card for children and youth. I have learned a lot from the international and national collaborations. Our team is more than ever dedicated to ensure that the first report card will be the launchpad for many necessary physical activity initiatives in Lebanon. We want our children and youth to ripe the benefits of leading physically active lifestyles."

Patrick Abi Nader, Ph.D.
Report Card Leader for Lebanon

"For us in Poland, AHKGA Global Alliance 3.0 is An initiative that goes far beyond grades and identifying problems around physical inactivity of kids. Being part of the aliance creates an opportunity to spark a movement towards more active kids in Poland. A movement in which, representatives of all of the sectors are involved, as this is the only way to achieve change."

Paweł Zembura, Ph.D. and Agata Korcz, Ph.D.
Report Card Leaders for Poland

"Participating in the Active Health Kids Global Alliance 3.0 initiative has been extremely rewarding. It has provided the UAE with a unique opportunity to be part of a global network of physical activity researchers from 49 different countries. Through our research and shared experiences, the global mission is to increase physical activity levels across all domains in children and their families. Let’s stand up together and start moving!"

Tom Loney, Ph.D.
Report Card Leader for the United Arab Emirates

"I am proud to be a part of the AHKGA Global Matrix 3.0 initiative. The current research gaps on physical activity among children & youth in Ethiopia highly eagers our future involvement in AHKGA initiative. Exploring more evidence to create more active, healthy and happy kids in Ethiopia will be a key."

Chalchisa Abdeta, Ph.D.
Report Card Leader for Ethiopia