The CATCH Kids Club (CKC) is a physical activity and nutrition education program for elementary school aged children (ages 5-10) in an after school setting. After school programs are popular in the United States because many parents work and their children require care and supervision during the hours after school, typically 3 to 6 pm. The CKC is composed of 3 programmatic elements: a 5-week education component, a continuous physical education program, and modifications to snacks served to the children. The CKC is currently undergoing pilot testing and formative evaluation in 16 Texas schools, 8 intervention and 8 reference. The purpose of this abstract is to report on baseline observations of levels of physical activity among children enrolled in these after-school programs. The System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time (SOFIT) was used to measure students' physical activity levels and contexts for activities. Mean moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was 38% of play time. Current guidelines for physical education in school recommend 50% or more of classtime should be spent in MVPA. Most of the physical activity context was devoted to free play (56%), game play (31%) and student management (9.5%). These results indicate there is room to improve MVPA among children in after school settings.
Learning Objectives: At the completion fo the session participants will be able to: 1. Describe how the afterschool daycare learngin environment can support structured physical activity. 2. Describe a program for training daycare provideers inteh delilvery of physical activities. 3. Describe the proportion of time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity
Keywords: Child/Adolescent, Physical Activity
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: na
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.