Policies to Influence Physical Activity and Nutrition in YMCA Programs

描述(申请人提供)：全国有940万17岁及以下的青少年参加基督教青年会计划。因此，基督教青年会在通过增加体力活动水平和促进饮食变化来影响儿童肥胖水平方面具有独特的地位。在许多社区，特别是那些低收入、农村和/或不安全的社区，基督教青年会的课外时间(OST)计划(课后-下午3点至6点和全天暑期计划)是少数几个可以让青少年进行体育活动并获得营养食物选择(如水果和蔬菜)的校外环境之一。我们与基督教青年会正在进行的合作工作表明，参加基督教青年会OST计划的青少年的中等到剧烈的体力活动水平较低，并为他们提供了低营养、能量密度高的零食选择(如椒盐卷饼、薯片、燕麦棒)。目前，基督教青年会没有关于在课外或暑期计划期间促进身体活动或零食质量的国家政策或基准。我们的协作团队包括哥伦比亚大学、南加州基督教青年会、社区利益相关者和大学研究人员三家机构的首席执行官和董事。利用以社区为基础的参与性研究原则，并借鉴我们合作团队的独特经验、能力和多样性，制定了以下问题和具体目标，以解决儿童肥胖的关键核心问题：“可以制定和有效实施哪些政策，以确保基督教青年会的OST计划有助于青年会议关于体育活动和饮食摄入量的建议？”具体地说，这项建议将寻求：1)合作制定旨在促进身体活动和改善营养的政策和基准，以在基督教青年会暑期和课后计划期间；2)实施和评估这些政策和基准，采用非随机化的测试前/测试后对照小组设计，约780名青年(5-12岁，50%女孩，50%非裔美国人)；以及3)描述组织和工作人员在政策实施前后对促进身体活动和良好饮食行为的态度和信念的变化。这项拟议的研究将为南卡罗来纳州大哥伦比亚地区以青年为导向的基督教青年会计划的政策制定提供信息。重要的是，鉴于全国有近1000万青年参加基督教青年会，这项研究有可能通过确保参加基督教青年会计划的青年参与足够数量的有益健康的体育活动和食用高饮食质量的食物来减少儿童肥胖症。在这项研究中获得的信息将为在随后的研究中评估政策的采纳和实施奠定基础，该研究以具有全国代表性的基督教青年会暑期和课外项目为样本。 与公共健康相关：基督教青年会是美国最著名的组织之一，可以通过积极的体育活动和饮食改变对儿童和青少年的肥胖水平产生重大影响。目前，基督教青年会没有关于在课外或暑期计划期间促进身体活动或零食质量的国家政策或基准。拟议项目的目标是合作制定、实施和评估旨在提高基督教青年会课外和暑期计划期间提供的食物的体力活动和饮食质量的政策。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Nationally, 9.4 million youth 17 years and under attend YMCA programs. Thus, the YMCA is uniquely position to influence childhood obesity levels by increasing physical activity levels and promoting dietary changes. In many communities, particularly those that are low income, rural, and/or unsafe, the YMCA's out-of-school time (OST) programs (afterschool - 3-6pm and all day summer programs) represent one of the few outside-of- school settings where youth can be physically active and receive nutritious food options (e.g., fruits and vegetables). Our ongoing collaborative work with the YMCA has indicated that youth attending YMCA OST programs have low levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and are provided snacks of low-nutrient energy dense choices (e.g., pretzels, chips, granola bars). Currently, the YMCA has no national policies or benchmarks related to promoting physical activity or the quality of snacks during its afterschool or summer programs. Our collaborative team includes the CEO and Directors of the three Columbia, SC YMCAs, community stakeholders, and university researchers. Using community-based participatory research principles and drawing from the unique experiences, capabilities, and diversity of our collaborative team, the following question and specific aims were developed to address the critical core issues of childhood obesity: "What policies can be developed and effectively implemented to ensure that the YMCA OST programs contribute to youth meeting recommendations for physical activity and dietary intake?" Specifically, this proposal will seek to: 1) collaboratively develop policies and benchmarks designed to promote physical activity and improve nutrition during YMCA summer and afterschool programs; 2) implement and evaluate these policies and benchmarks using a non-randomized pre/post-test comparison group design with approximately 780 youth (5- 12yrs old, 50% girls, 50% African American); and 3) describe organizational and staff changes in attitudes and beliefs towards promoting physical activity and good dietary behaviors before and after policy implementation. The proposed research will inform policy development for YMCA youth-oriented programs in the greater Columbia, SC area. Importantly, given that almost 10 million youth attend YMCAs nationally, this research has the potential to reduce childhood obesity through ensuring that youth who attend YMCA programs engage in sufficient amounts of health-enhancing physical activity and consume foods high in dietary quality. The information gained in this study will lay the groundwork for evaluating policy uptake and implementation in subsequent studies in a nationally-representative sample of YMCA summer and afterschool programs. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The YMCA serves as one the most prominent organizations in the U.S. that can have a major impact on children's and adolescents' obesity levels through positive physical activity and dietary changes. Currently, the YMCA has no national policies or benchmarks related to promoting physical activity or the quality of snacks during its afterschool or summer programs. The goal of the proposed project is to collaboratively develop, implement, and evaluate policies designed to increase physical activity and dietary quality of foods offered during YMCA afterschool and summer programming.