Physical Activity and Nutrition Intervention in Afterschool Programs

Not Applicable

Completed

Brief Summary: The investigators long-term goal is to advance the adoption and successful implementation of policies that promote PA and nutrition in after school programs (ASP) nationwide. The investigators objective here is two fold. First, the investigators will test the effectiveness of two promising strategies designed to 1) increase the amount of PA children accumulate while attending an ASP and 2) promote changes in the nutritional quality of the snacks served. This represents a fundamental step in establishing practice-based guidelines (best practices) for the uptake and achievement of public health policy goals (CA and Harvard). Second, the investigators will examine the barriers and facilitators to implementing these strategies. The expected outcome of this study is evidence supporting best practices for ASPs to employ to meet policy goals.

Detailed Description: The investigators will use a 3-year delayed treatment, cluster randomized controlled trial design with 20 ASPs that serve mostly low-income and minority children (approximately 1300 children ages 6-12yrs) in Columbia, SC and address the following specific aims: Aim 1. Evaluate the impact of a staff-level intervention, a professional development training program focused on core competencies to promote physical activity, on children's physical activity levels; Aim 2. Evaluate the impact of a site-level intervention, a snack modification program that includes a discount buying program, on the quality of snacks served and consumed; and Aim 3. Evaluate the implementation of the staff-level and site-level interventions and identify organizational, staff, and setting characteristics that influence the process of implementing these strategies.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria

Programs that:

Operate immediately after the school day
Operate every day of the school year for a minimum of 2 hours
Serve a minimum of 30 children of elementary age (6-12 years)
Operate in a school, community or faith Setting
Provide a snack
Provide homework assistance/completion time
Provide enrichment
Provide opportunities for physical activity
All children enrolled, staff, and afterschool program (ASP) leaders in the ASPs were eligible to participate in the study.

Exclusion Criteria

Children that:

Have any physical and/or orthopedic impairment that would limit a child's ability to participate in regular physical activity.

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Immediate Intervention	Healthy Eating and Physical Activity	Over the 3 year project, this arm receives the Healthy Eating and Physical Activity intervention after year 1 (baseline) for a total of 2 years (year 2 and 3).
Delayed Intervention	Healthy Eating and Physical Activity	Over the 3 year project, this arm serves as the no treatment control/comparison group for year 1 and 2 (2 years of baseline) and receives the Healthy Eating and Physical Activity intervention in year 3 for a total of 1 year.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change in Percentage of Children Meeting Physical Activity Policy	Spring of Year 1, Year 2, and Year 3	We will assess the number of children meeting the physical activity policy of 30 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. The primary physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior outcome was derived via accelerometry. All children attending an ASP on unannounced measurement days had an opportunity to wear the ActiGraph GT3X+. The accelerometers were distilled using 5-second epochs. When children arrived to a program, they were fitted with an accelerometer and the arrival time was recorded (monitor time on). Before a child departed from a program, research staff removed the belt and recorded the time of departure (monitor time off). Children wore the monitors for their entire attendance at the ASPs. Cutpoint thresholds associated with moderate and vigorous activity were used to distill the PA intensity levels and sedentary behavior. Children were considered to have a valid day of accelerometer data if their total wear time (time off minus time on) was ≥60 minutes.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Changes in Nutritional Quality of Snacks	Spring of Year 1, Year 2, and Year 3	We will assess quality of snacks served at the ASPs in terms of number of fruits and vegetables served per week. These analyses were performed at the ASP level with a sample size of 20 (10 per arm)