Policies to Influence Physical Activity and Nutrition in YMCA Programs

描述（由申请人提供）：在全国范围内，940万17岁以下的青年参加基督教青年会方案。因此，基督教青年会是独特的地位，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。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点和全天夏季计划）代表了少数校外环境之一，青年可以进行身体活动并获得营养食品选择（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项目的青年人进行中到剧烈体育活动的水平较低，并提供低营养能量密度选择的零食（例如，椒盐卷饼、薯片、格兰诺拉燕麦卷）。目前，基督教青年会没有国家政策或基准，以促进体育活动或零食的质量在其课后或夏季计划。我们的合作团队包括三个哥伦比亚，SC基督教青年会，社区利益相关者和大学研究人员的首席执行官和董事。使用基于社区的参与性研究原则，并从独特的经验，能力和我们的合作团队的多样性，以下问题和具体目标的制定，以解决儿童肥胖的关键核心问题：“什么政策可以制定和有效实施，以确保青年会OST计划有助于青年会议的建议，体育活动和饮食摄入量？“具体来说，这项提案将寻求：1）合作制定旨在促进青年会夏季和课后活动期间体育活动和改善营养的政策和基准; 2）使用非随机的前/后测试比较组设计，与大约780名青年一起实施和评估这些政策和基准。（5- 12岁，50%的女孩，50%的非洲裔美国人）;和3）描述组织和工作人员的态度和信念的变化，以促进体育活动和良好的饮食行为之前和之后的政策实施。拟议的研究将为大哥伦比亚，南卡罗来纳州地区基督教青年会面向青年的方案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YMCA，这项研究有可能通过确保参加YMCA项目的青年参加足够的增强健康的体力活动并食用高质量的食物来减少儿童肥胖。在这项研究中获得的信息将奠定基础，在随后的研究中，在全国代表性的样本基督教青年会的夏季和课外活动的政策吸收和实施评估。

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.