After-School Gets Moving

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Health problems associated with physical inactivity contribute to some of the nation's most pressing public health concerns. The impact of thee problems on low income, urban youth is especially profound. Efforts to motivate children to be more active require awareness that family, culture, child development, learning style and environment have a combined effect. The increasing proliferation of after school programs for 8-10 year old children presents an appropriate, targeted opportunity for physical activity intervention. Vida Health Communications, Inc. will produce and evaluate the effectiveness of media designed to: 1.) train staff in urban, space-limited and budget-challenged after school programs about physical activity intervention strategies and 2.) Demonstrate environment-specific ways to motivate increases in physical activity among children ages 8-10. Primary distribution of After School Gets Moving will be through volume sales to foundations and advocacy groups servicing urban after school programs. Secondary distribution of the program messages will involve interstitial "motivational minutes" for broadcast on public and cable television in urban media markets during child and family viewing hours. In Phase I, investigators will develop and evaluate prototype modules of a DVD program to train after school care providers. Full programs will be produced in Phase II and then evaluated using a quasi-experimental, pre-test, posttest design with comparison groups. The proposed programs are particularly relevant to public health initiatives working to decrease incidence of childhood obesity by increasing physical activity in children. The media to be produced in the project will focus on urban, low-income children enrolled in after school programs that face space limitations; safety issues and budget constraints which make it difficult to provide children with opportunities for physical activity. After school care providers, who, to date, are seldom the recipients of training and professional development, will benefit most from the education and demonstrations this application proposes.