Healthy Choices: Physical Activity, Health, and Nutrition During the OutofSchool Time Hours

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• Healthy Choices Physical Activity, Health, and
  Nutrition During the Out-of-School Time Hours
• Georgia Hall, PhD
• Research Scientist
• National Institute on Out-of-School Time
• Wellesley College

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What is the Landscape?

• Food Guide Pyramid Serving Sizes
• Percentage of Youth (2-11 years) Meeting
  Recommendations
• About 30 for fruit, grain, meat, and dairy
• 36 for vegetables
• 1 meet all
• 16 meet none

Munoz, Krebs-Smith, Ballard-Barbash, Cleveland,
1997
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What is the Landscape?
A 2004 study showed that 75 of beverage options
and 85 of snack options in 1,420 vending
machines operating in 251 different middle and
high schools were of poor nutritional quality.
Action for Healthy Kids, 2004
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What is the Landscape?
The National Association for Sport and Physical
Education recommends that children engage in at
least 60 minutes of physical activity all or most
days of the week.
Less than two-thirds of youth in a national
survey report that they participate in vigorous
exercise three or more times a week.
Corbin Pangrazi, 2003 U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services, 2000
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Loss of Outdoor Play and Play Space
For the first two thirds of the 20th Century
children thrived in the city streets, stoops,
playgrounds, and play lots. Outdoor play taught
creativity, negotiation, self-confidence, and
coping skills.
Over the past 30 years The risks of outdoor play
have overtaken the benefits.
Robert Halpern, Physical (In) Activity, n.d.
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Influence Physical Activity Participation
Transportation
Distribution of Play Space
Race and Ethnicity
Family Structure and Income
Cuts in PE
Television and Computers
Supervision and Safety
Peer Relationships
Gender and Age
Parental Influence
Available Space
Self-Perception
Policy Studies Associates, 2006
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Which Brings Us to.
The promotion of physical activity and nutritious
eating during the out-of-school time hours may be
one of the best ways to contribute to healthy
development for youth.
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Afterschool Programs Can Improve Youth Health
and Provide Nutritious Snacks/Meals
When children and youth are asked what they like
most about their afterschool programs - physical
activity and food always come up! For many
children, the afterschool program may provide
their only opportunity for a nutritious evening
meal.
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• Important Concepts about Physical Activity for
  Children

• Young children are inherently active.
• Children have a relatively short attention span
  for tasks compared to adults.
• Children are concrete learners rather than
  abstract.
• The normal activity pattern of children is
  intermittent.
• Many of the skills used in adult recreation and
  leisure are learned during the school years.
• High intensity physical activity has benefits,
  but may reduce persistence.
• Self-efficacy is strongly associated with
  lifetime physical activity.
• Just as children and youth can learn the habit
  of physical activity, they can learn to be
  inactive.
• Children who are inactive are more likely to
  become inactive adults.

Council for Physical Education for Children
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Massachusetts Afterschool Research Study
(2003-2005)

• 78 Programs
• 10 Communities in Massachusetts
• 4,100 Children and Youth
• - Diverse models such as YMCA, Boys Girls
  Clubs, Citizen Schools, faith-based, for-profit
• - Administered by schools CBOs
• - Located in schools and in the community

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Quality Activities
1. Activity is appropriate to age level 2.
Activity is part of an on-going project 3.
Instructions and tasks are clear 4. Prior
preparation on part of staff 5. Activity is
challenging and stimulates creativity
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Quality Activities are Related to Youth Engagement
1. Youth appear relaxed 2. Youth respond to
staff direction 3. Youth are kind and respectful
of each other 4. Youth use positive
language/tone 5. Youth listen attentively 6.
Youth enjoy each others company
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Quality Activities are Related to Staff Engagement
1. Staff are actively participating 2. Staff
genuinely enjoy youth 3. Staff-Youth interactions
positive 4. Staff use positive language/tone 5.
Staff encourage youth 6. Staff listen actively,
attentively,and patiently
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Some Lessons Learned - MARS Findings

• Invest in staff!
• They are crucial to success
• A highly qualified program director sets the tone
  for successful programs
• Staff need to have the skills to engage
  captivate youth
• Youth engagement leads to positive youth outcomes
• Build Consistency
• Making connections to school and families
  increases success for youth
• Maintain staff (reduce turnover)
• Planning, Organization and Space
• A relaxing, well-paced day with small group sizes
  allows for quality programming to happen
• Planning time is necessary for intentional
  activities
• Appropriate space sets the context for staff to
  work effectively

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• Why out-of-school time programs?

• Historical use of the after school hours
• Many OST programs are sponsored by community
  organizations that have a history of promoting
  physical activity
• OST programs can have more flexibility in
  scheduling and curriculum
• OST programs may be able to devote longer
  periods of time to skill development
• OST programs often serve populations most in
  need of physical activity resources
• OST programs often sustain a small group
  atmosphere

Halpern, 2003
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Characteristics of Physical Activity Programs
Activities are intended to be voluntary in
nature, i.e., the student has a choice of
activities or participation.
Every student is given an equal opportunity to
participate regardless of physical ability.
Students have an opportunity to be involved in
planning, organization and administration of
programs.
National Intramural Sports Council
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Characteristics of Physical Activity Programs
There is some evidence that the following may
lead to more habitual participation

• Non-competitive
• Promote enjoyment
• Do not require a great deal of mental effort
• Can be done alone, without partner or teammates
• Promote a belief in the value of the physical
  activity for improving health and wellness
• Promote the belief that the activity will become
  easier and more meaningful over time
• Help the participant avoid self-criticism

Council for Physical Education for Children
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• Role of Out-of-School Time Programs

• Guidelines for Promoting
• Physical Activity
• Encourage self-monitoring
• Individualize activities
• Expose youth to a variety of physical
  activities
• Focus instructional feedback on process, not
  product
• Teach physical skills
• Be an active role model
• Teach positive approaches to lifetime activity

Council for Physical Education for Children
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• Integrating Academic Support and Sports

• America SCORES
• Soccer, creative writing and poetry
• Harlem RBI
• Baseball, softball, reading, enrichment, career
  and college prep

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• Discussion

• What are the barriers to increasing youth
  involvement in physical activities during the OST
  hours?
• How to improve connection between youth sports
  programs and afterschool programs?
• What public policy actions will increase the
  availability of facilities and playing spaces to
  programs?
• How to promote schools and community
  organizations coordinating their efforts to make
  the best use of their resources in promoting
  physical activity and nutrition among young
  people?
• What are the ways to infuse research-based
  training into the practices of youth development
  and afterschool programs?

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report