Biennial Meetings of the Society for Research on Adolescence, March 13, 2010

1. Adolescent After School Program Participation and Physical FitnessRebecca A. London and Oded Gurantz,John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities, Stanford University Biennial Meetings of the Society for Research on Adolescence, March 13, 2010

2. Background In 2005-06, 16% of U.S. children ages 2 to 19 had body mass index (BMI) high enough to classify them as obese Obesity rate for Mexican-American boys and girls approximately five percentage points higher than Non-Hispanic Whites (Ogden, Carroll, & Flegal, 2008) Childhood obesity is associated with a host of negative health outcomes, including Type II diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol

3. Research Questions To what extent are students in grades five through nine participating in after school programming? What are the effects of participation on youth’s physical fitness outcomes?

4. Literature After school participation has a direct link to improved fitness through increased activity and decreased time engaged in sedentary activities Possible indirect link as high-quality after school programs have the potential to improve self-confidence, motivation, and emotional regulation

5. Youth Data Archive Physical Fitness Test (PFT) data – 5th, 7th, 9th grade Students passing 5 of 6 tests are considered fit After school participation: (1) administrative data from four large service providers and (2) survey of all middle school students 5th Grade After School Participation 7th Grade School Data Fit Fit Administrative Data Middle School Survey Not Fit Not Fit

6. Fitness Trajectories – 5th to 7th grade

7. Fitness Trajectories – 7th to 9th grade

8. Percent of Students Participating in After School Programs

9. Determinants of Physical Activity After School Program Participation Regressions include controls for standardized test scores, school attendance, special education status, and interactions between grade and gender *** p<=0.01, ** p<=0.05, * p<=0.10

10. Determinants of Other After School Program Participation Regressions include controls for standardized test scores, school attendance, special education status, and interactions between grade and gender *** p<=0.01, ** p<=0.05, * p<=0.10

11. Effects of After School Program Participation on Physical Fitness Regressions controls for initial physical fitness, standardized test scores in baseline year, student attendance between the first and second fitness test, special education status, and interactions between grade and gender *** p<=0.01, ** p<=0.05, * p<=0.10

12. Effects of After School Program Participation – Female Participation *** p<=0.01, ** p<=0.05, * p<=0.10

13. Conclusion Between one-fourth and two-thirds of all students do not participate in any after school programs Female students and students who are unfit are less likely to participate in physical activity programs Socio-economic status plays a role in after school participation Students who participate in physical activity programs may have slight improvements in overall fitness, but more investigation is needed

14. Next Steps Incorporate data from additional after school providers and student surveys Present initial findings to community partners Focus on school and neighborhood participation Commitment from leaders at participating agencies, including California School Board Association, to using the information generated to improve the health of the Latino children they serve