Policies to Influence Physical Activity and Nutrition in YMCA Programs

描述（由申请人提供）：全国有940万17岁及以下的青年参加基督教青年会的活动。因此，基督教青年会在通过增加体育活动水平和促进饮食改变来影响儿童肥胖水平方面处于独特的地位。在许多社区，特别是那些低收入，农村和/或不安全的社区，基督教青年会的校外时间（OST）计划（放学后-下午3-6点和整天的暑期计划）代表了少数校外环境之一，年轻人可以进行身体活动并获得营养食物选择（例如水果和蔬菜）。我们与基督教青年会正在进行的合作表明，参加基督教青年会OST项目的青少年很少进行中等到剧烈的体育活动，并且提供的零食是低营养能量密度的选择（例如，椒盐脆饼、薯片、格兰诺拉燕麦棒）。目前，基督教青年会没有全国性的政策或基准来促进课外或暑期活动中的体育活动或零食的质量。我们的合作团队包括三个哥伦比亚，SC基督教青年会的首席执行官和董事，社区利益相关者和大学研究人员。利用基于社区的参与性研究原则，并借鉴我们合作团队的独特经验、能力和多样性，我们提出了以下问题和具体目标，以解决儿童肥胖的关键核心问题：“可以制定并有效实施哪些政策，以确保YMCA OST计划有助于青少年达到体育活动和饮食摄入的建议？”具体而言，该提案将寻求：1)合作制定旨在促进YMCA夏季和课后活动的体育活动和改善营养的政策和基准；2)对780名青少年（5- 12岁，50%为女孩，50%为非洲裔美国人）采用非随机的测试前/测试后比较组设计，实施和评估这些政策和基准；3)描述政策实施前后组织和员工对促进体育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YMCA青年导向项目的政策制定提供信息。重要的是，考虑到全国有近1000万青少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项目的青少年参与足够数量的促进健康的体育活动和食用高质量的食物来减少儿童肥胖。本研究所获得的资讯，将为后续在全国代表性的基督教青年会暑期及课外活动样本中评估政策的采纳与执行奠定基础。

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.