title: Sport-2-Stay-Fit study: Health effects of after-school sport participation in children and adolescents with a chronic disease or physical disability.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Children and adolescents with a chronic disease or physical disability have lower fitness levels compared to their non-disabled peers. Low physical fitness is associated with reduced physical activity, increased cardiovascular diseases, and lower levels of both cognitive and psychosocial functioning. Moreover, children and adolescents with a chronic disease or physical disability participate less in both recreational and competitive sports. A variety of intervention studies have shown positive, but only temporary, effects of training programs. Next to issues related to the chronic condition itself, various personal and environmental factors play a key role in determining the extent to which they participate in sports or physical activities. Due to these barriers, sport participation in the immediate after-school hours seems to be a feasible solution to get these children and adolescents physical active structurally. To investigate if an after school sport program can sustain the positive effects of an intervention, a standardized interval training will be given to improve physical fitness levels. High-intensity Interval Training (HIT) is superior to moderate-intensity continuous training in improving physical fitness in patients with chronic diseases. Therefore, the Sport-2-Stay-Fit study will investigate whether after school sport participation can increase the sustainability of a HIT program in children and adolescents with a chronic disease or physical disability.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Sport-2-Stay-Fit study is a clinical controlled trial. A total of 74 children and adolescents in the age of 6-19 years with a chronic disease or physical disability will be included. This could be either a cardiovascular, pulmonary, metabolic, musculoskeletal or neuromuscular disorder. Both children and adolescents who are ambulatory or propelling a manual wheelchair will be included. All participants will follow a HIT program of eight weeks to improve their physical fitness level. Thereafter, the intervention group will participate in sport after school for six months, while the control group receives assessment only. Measurements will take place before the HIT, directly after, as well as, six months later. The primary objective is anaerobic fitness. Secondary objectives are agility, aerobic fitness, strength, physical activity, cardiovascular health, cognitive functioning, and psychosocial functioning.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  If effective, after school sport participation following a standardized interval training could be implemented on schools for special education to get children and adolescents with a chronic disease or physical disability active on a structural basis.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  This trial is registered at the Dutch Trial Register #NTR4698.
authors.affiliation: Center of Excellence for Rehabilitation Medicine and Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, De Hoogstraat Rehabilitation and University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands ; Partner of Shared Utrecht Pediatric Exercise Research (SUPER) Lab, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Maremka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zwinkels
authors.affiliation: Center of Excellence for Rehabilitation Medicine and Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, De Hoogstraat Rehabilitation and University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands ; Partner of Shared Utrecht Pediatric Exercise Research (SUPER) Lab, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Olaf
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Verschuren
authors.affiliation: Partner of Shared Utrecht Pediatric Exercise Research (SUPER) Lab, Utrecht, the Netherlands ; Research Group Lifestyle and Health, Institute of Human Movement Studies, University of Applied Sciences, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Kristel
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lankhorst
authors.affiliation: Partner of Shared Utrecht Pediatric Exercise Research (SUPER) Lab, Utrecht, the Netherlands ; Research Group Lifestyle and Health, Institute of Human Movement Studies, University of Applied Sciences, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: van der Ende-Kastelijn
authors.affiliation: Partner of Shared Utrecht Pediatric Exercise Research (SUPER) Lab, Utrecht, the Netherlands ; Research Group Lifestyle and Health, Institute of Human Movement Studies, University of Applied Sciences, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Janke
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: de Groot
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation, Nursing Science and Sports, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Backx
authors.affiliation: Center of Excellence for Rehabilitation Medicine and Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, De Hoogstraat Rehabilitation and University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands ; Department of Rehabilitation, Nursing Science and Sports, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Visser-Meily
authors.affiliation: Partner of Shared Utrecht Pediatric Exercise Research (SUPER) Lab, Utrecht, the Netherlands ; Child Development and Exercise Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, P.O. Box 85090, 3508 AB Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takken
keywords: Adolescents; Children; Chronic disease; Exercise; Health; Interval training; Physical disability; Physical fitness; Sport participation