title: Physical activity in after-school programs: comparison with physical activity policies.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  After-school programs (ASPs) across the nation have been asked to increase the amount of activity children accumulate during such programs. Policies/standards that benchmark the amount of total activity (light-to-vigorous physical activity, LVPA) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) accumulated in an ASP have been developed. Little is known about the prevalence of children meeting these goals.
  
  
  METHODS
  Children (N = 812, 6 to 12 y old) attending 19 ASPs wore accelerometers for 4 days while attending an ASP. LVPA and MVPA were dichotomized according to existing ASP policies/standards. Data on whether a policy/standard was met were compared between gender, age, BMI, race/ethnicity, and ASP-type (faith-, school-, community-based) using mixed-model logistic-regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of meeting an LVPA policy/standard ranged from 75.4% (National Afterschool Association [NAA], 20% of program time spent in LVPA) to 97.8% (NAA, 20% of time in attendance spent in LVPA), and meeting an MVPA policy/standard ranged from 0.3% (California, 60 min MVPA/d) to 26.9% (North Carolina, 20% of attendance spent in MVPA). Boys, younger children, nonwhites, and children attending faith-or community-based ASPs were more likely to meet any policy/standard.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Current practice in ASPs is sufficient to meet LVPA policies/standards but insufficient to meet MVPA policy/standards. Efforts must be directed toward identifying the most appropriate policy/standard and strategies to meet it.
authors: Dept of Exercise Science, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC.
authors: Michael W
authors: MW
authors: Beets
authors: Rohan
authors: R
authors: Shah
authors: Robert Glenn
authors: RG
authors: Weaver
authors: Jennifer
authors: J
authors: Huberty
authors: Aaron
authors: A
authors: Beighle
authors: Justin B
authors: JB
authors: Moore
mesh_terms: D019985:Benchmarking; D002140:California; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006040:Goals; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009657:North Carolina; D057766:Policy; D012574:Schools