A community-based program improves body composition and cardiovascular fitness among underserved children: The Athletes for Life study

Introduction: There is a need for effective community-based approaches for improving cardiovascular fitness (CVF) for underserved populations. The purpose of this study was to test the preliminary efficacy of Athletes for Life (AFL). Methods: AFL was a 12-week program in which families attended sessions 2x/week for 90-min at a community center located in an underserved community. AFL included a variety of activities aimed to improve fitness and sport skills. The intervention also included a parent component and used behavior change strategies to help families learn to maintain their physical activity participation. This study reports preliminary findings from the first cohort of AFL participants. Thirty-three children 6-11 y old were randomized to an intervention or wait-listed control group. Pre-/post- measures included demographics, anthropometrics, 1-mile run and a 3-minute step test. ANCOVA tested for post-data group differences, adjusting for baseline values. Results: Eighty-five percent of children completed the program. Children were 9.2±1.7y, 94% Latino/Hispanic, 54% male and 58% overweight/obese. Relative to the control group, children in the intervention group had significantly lower post %body fat via DEXA (34.4±0.3 vs. 35.4±0.3; p=0.03), trend towards lower BMI (21.3±1.3 vs. 21.7 kg/m²; p=0.06), with no differences in waist circumference. There were also trends towards improvement in 1-mile run time (9.6±0.4 vs. 10.9±0.4 min; p=0.07) and step-test mean heart rate (133.5±1.7 vs. 138.5±1.7; p=0.05) in the intervention group compared to the control group. Conclusions: These preliminary results suggest AFL could help improve body composition and CVF among underserved children who participated in AFL.