Health and Sports/Recreation Program Evaluations

March 2005

We plan to publish a brief in our Issues and Opportunities in Out-of-School Time Evaluation series on this topic. To be notified when it is available you can sign up for our out-of-school time updates email.

The Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) Out-of-School Time Program Evaluation Bibliography and Out-of-School Time Program Evaluation Database both provide information on evaluations that have been conducted on sports/recreation and health-related out-of-school time (OST) programs, among other categories.

Out-of-School Time Program Evaluation Bibliography

Our Out-of-School Time Program Evaluation Bibliography contains citations for all the OST program evaluations that we are currently tracking. In our bibliography we provide basic program information as well as links to relevant evaluation reports. The bibliography is categorized by program type and includes both the category “Health” and the category “Sports/Recreation.” The following programs are included in our bibliography in these two categories.

Health Programs

Be Proud! Be Responsible!
EarthFriends
Hip Hop to Health
Kids on the Move Program* (also in the Sports/Recreation category)
NikeGO After School Program* (also in the Sports/Recreation category)
Project 4-Health
Rural Massachusetts Residential Summer Weight Loss Camp (also in the Sports/Recreation category)
Workers of Wonder (also in the Sports/Recreation category)

Sports/Recreation Programs

4-H Youth Development Program—Project Castlerock
After-School Express
Austin City Council After School Programs
Baltimore's After School Strategy—A-Teams*
Career Horizons Program
Chicago Lighthouse Program
Cooke Middle School After School Recreation Program*
Fairfax County Youth-Directed Teen Centers
Girlfriends for KEEPS (Keys to Eating, Exercising, Playing, and Sharing)
Grand Slam Program
Greater Austin First Tee Youth Golf Life Skills Mentoring Program
Harper Middle School After School Tutorial Program
Kids on the Move Program* (also in the Health category)
Los Angeles Better Educated Students for Tomorrow (LA's BEST) Program*
National Youth Sports Program—University of Southern Mississippi
National Youth Sports Program—Western Mountain Region Urban Setting
NikeGO After School Program* (also in the Health category)
Phoenix Activity City
Project Effort
Roberson Cultural Sensitivity Golf Program
Rural Massachusetts Residential Summer Weight Loss Camp (also in the Health category)
Siblings of Children With Developmental Disabilities After School Support Program*
South Florida Inner-City Games After-School Program
A Sporting Chance for All
Summer Teen Recreation Academy
U Move With the Starzz
Walnut Terrace After-School Program
Workers of Wonder (also in the Health category)
YouthNET*

* Profiles about these programs and their evaluations are available in our Out-of-School Time Program Evaluation Database (see below).

Out-of-School Time Program Evaluation Database

The Out-of-School Time Program Evaluation Database contains profiles of OST program evaluations. Its purpose is to provide accessible information about previous and current evaluations to support the development of high quality evaluations and programs in the OST field. Each profile contains detailed information about the evaluations as well as an overview of the OST program or initiative itself. Web links to actual evaluation reports, where available, are also provided, as are program and evaluation contacts. The search mechanism allows users to refine their scan of the profiles to specific program and evaluation characteristics and findings information. Seven of the sports/recreation and health-related evaluations in our bibliography currently have detailed profiles in our OST database. Below are brief description of these programs, the evaluation design, and any evaluation findings related to sports/recreation and/or health.

Baltimore's After School Strategy—A-Teams
Description: This initiative, which began in 2000, is an effort to work with and through selected Baltimore, Maryland, after school programs to increase the availability and quality of arts, academic, and athletics activities for the city's underserved middle school youth.
Evaluation Design: quasi-experimental and non-experimental
Related Findings: According to evaluation findings, athletics program directors reported focusing on developing youth's athletic skills, including footwork, ball handling, coordination, and endurance. In addition, athletics program participants reported learning a lot about being an effective group or team member and respecting others.

Cooke Middle School After School Recreation Program
Description: Begun in 1999, this after school recreation program offers activities designed to promote the physical, emotional, and social well-being of students at a middle school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Evaluation Design: experimental, non-experimental, and quasi-experimental
Related Findings: The evaluation results revealed a statistically significant program impact for time spent on strength training activities at least 1 hour per week, with 80% of the program group spending time in these activities as compared to 61% of the control group.

Kids on the Move Program
Description: Established in 1999, this program was developed in response to an increase in cardiovascular disease risk factors such as obesity, especially among children in high-risk populations. Through health education and structured active play, it aims to reduce these risk factors in high-risk children ages 8 to 12 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Evaluation Design: non-experimental and quasi-experimental
Related Findings: Evaluation findings revealed that (a) participants' leg flexibility improved, (b) nearly half (49.3%) of the parents stated that their child was drinking more water since beginning the program, and (c) over half (51.7%) of the parents stated that they noticed an increase in their child's activity level since beginning the program.

Los Angeles Better Educated Students for Tomorrow (LA's BEST) Program
Description: Begun in 1988, this program has five goals: a safe environment, enhanced opportunities through the integration of an educational support structure, educational enrichment activities to supplement and deepen the regular program, recreational activities, and interpersonal skills and self-esteem development.
Evaluation Design: experimental, non-experimental, and quasi-experimental
Related Findings: The 1990 evaluation revealed that recreational goals were largely being achieved, although some increase in the variety of available opportunities would be desirable. All sites were implementing recreational activities, principally traditional group sports and table games. Less frequent were physical fitness activities, skill clinics, and crafts.

NikeGO After School Program
Description: Begun in 2002, this national program provides after school physical activities to offer youth the opportunity to discover the joy of movement and the fun of physical activity.
Evaluation Design: non-experimental
Related Findings: Evaluation findings revealed that, for the clubs that used SPARK (Sports, Play & Active Recreation for Kids active recreation curriculum), this curriculum seemed to work to increase levels of physical activity across ages, sex, and ability. Overall, evaluators deemed the program to be successful in meeting its goal of getting more kids more active.

Siblings of Children With Developmental Disabilities After School Support Program
Description: This program for 9–12-year-old African American children in an East Coast inner city offers group discussions, recreation, and homework assistance to siblings of children with developmental disabilities. The program's goal is to provide developmental and academic opportunities to youth whose parents' time and energy often must be primarily devoted to their children with developmental disabilities.
Evaluation Design: experimental
Related Findings: No significant treatment effects were found for self-esteem/body image or self-esteem/sports/athletics.

YouthNET
Description: Initiated in 1998, this collaboration brings new after school programs to inner city youth in Waterbury, Connecticut. Programs offer a mix of art, recreation, and enrichment activities.
Evaluation Design: quasi-experimental and non-experimental
Related Findings: The evaluation did not look specifically at issues related to the sports/recreation component.

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