The All Star Dads program rewarded fathers for spending time engaged in physical activity with their kids. A pilot of the program was conducted in 4 counties: Gallatin, Harrison, Montgomery and Wolfe. Activities included, but were not limited to: hiking, walking, baseball, cornhole, and even hide and seek. Participants were asked to fill out a score card with 20 squares/ opportunities for physical activity. One square was filled out each time the participants completed 30 minutes of activity. In total, each card recorded 10 hours of father/child activity!
The All Star Dads program was born after a county extension needs assessment conducted in 2008, identified a need to offer more extension programs for men. Focus groups held in Montgomery, Gallatin, and Harrison counties helped to determine what type of program would be best. The focus groups indicated that men who were fathers showed a decrease in physical activity as their kids got older.
The program was implemented through a social marketing campaign. One component for the campaign involved distributing yard signs to fathers after they returned the first completed score card. The yard signs showcased their achievement to their neighbors and promoted the program. Each additional card completed and returned earned trophy stickers to place on the sign. Each score card also translated a chance to win a grand prize. Using these methods, the initial campaign in October 2010 was successful. During the first year, county extension offices received 149 cards. The score cards accounted for almost 1,500 hours of physical activity!