An After-school Physical Activity Intervention for Children: Examining the YMCA CATCH Kids Club Program

Abstract

Children who are overweight and physically inactive are a great concern due to the potential negative health consequences. Afterschool physical activity interventions have become increasingly popular in hopes of addressing these health risks. An afterschool program that has drawn attention in recent years is one with a physical activity component known as Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH). The present study examined the effect the CATCH program had on MVPA and physical fitness in children in grades 3 to 6 attending the YMCA afterschool program. Results indicated a significant increase in overall daily MVPA (p=0.047) as well as physical fitness (p=0.000) from baseline to post-test. It was also found that children attending the afterschool program were already accumulating substantial daily MVPA during their regular afterschool program. These findings indicate that while CATCH was successful in increasing MVPA, students attending afterschool programs may already be obtaining sufficient MVPA during afterschool time.