Community Park-Based Programs for Health Promotion: Fit2Play Prospective Cohort Study

The Fit2Play prospective cohort study examines the effects of a park-based youth physical activity afterschool program on youth participant fitness and mental health outcomes. The Fit2Play program was designed by a team of MDPROS professionals and UM faculty. It is a daily after-school park-based program (Monday-Friday, 2 PM-6 PM) that comprises (1) 60 minutes of physical activity that incorporates multiple sports (soccer, kickball, flag football) and activities from Sports, Play and Active Recreation for Kids (SPARK), a play- and evidenced-based, outcome-oriented, structured, active recreation program for children with a focus on developing and improving motor skills, movement knowledge, social and personal skills; and (2) 20-30 minutes of nutrition education lessons 1-2 times per week that incorporate EmpowerMe4Life, a health and wellness curriculum aligned to the National Health Education Standards for fifth grade and grounded in the American Heart Association's scientific recommendations in promoting heart-healthy lifestyles. Fit2Play programming is implemented by park coaches, who are hired with health and wellness training and/or education-specific background(s) with at least a high school degree. Participants are divided into younger (6-9 years) and older (10-14 years) age groups regardless of weight status, and coaches choose daily age-appropriate SPARK and other physical activities for each group. With an oversight from a registered dietician, similarly, the UM-MDPROS team has expanded the EmpowerMe4Life curriculum to include younger (6-9 years) and older (10-14 years) age group modules.

The research team includes a large community organization (Miami-Dade County Parks and Recreation Department). All consented Fit2Play participants (400-800 per year) complete a baseline (August/September) and post-test (May/June) assessment during each school year of participation that include demographic, mental health symptom questionnaires, satisfaction surveys, and on-site physical fitness and biometric measurements. Data collection is performed by a core MDPROS measurement team who are trained and certified by University of Miami School of Medicine faculty. In addition, MDPROS bachelor/master's level recreation directors oversee on-site measurement procedures and collection of all predata and postdata to ensure measurement fidelity. Data are then uploaded to a shared (parks and university) database via a data management team.