Fit2Play: An Evidenced-Based Afterschool Program

About the Program

Category: Children and Youth (Best in Category)

Year: 2018

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 30% of children in the United States are overweight or obese. Childhood obesity has been linked with an increased risk for high blood pressure and cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, breathing and musculo-skeletal problems, liver disease, psycho-social problems, low self-esteem and academic decline. Research also links childhood obesity to a greater probability of severe adulthood obesity, which in turn can be linked to heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers. Florida ranks among the top five states with the highest medical costs related to adult obesity. In 2009, the Department, in collaboration with the University of Miami, created “Fit2Play Afterschool Program” in an effort to avert the onset of childhood obesity through a program curriculum that is largely based on active physical recreation and nutrition education. Fit2Play includes Sports, Play and Active Recreation for Kids (SPARK) that focuses on developing and improving motor skills, movement knowledge, social and personal skills; and EmpowerMe4Life nutrition classes that emphasize consumption of fresh produce and water. The Fit2Play curriculum also includes Life Sports, Recreation Games and time for homework. Almost 3,000 children between the ages 6-14 register each year for the Fit2Play program. In 2014 Fit2Play was recognized by the White House and First Lady Michelle Obama as a national afterschool program model. It has been presented at national conferences for the Florida Recreation and Park Association; National Recreation and Park Association; and the American Public Health Association. Fit2Play has been published in a number of professional peer-reviewed journals including Disability Health; American Journal of Health Promotion; Preventive Medicine; Journal of Public Health Management and Practice; World Journal of Clinical Pediatrics; Epidemiology Community Health; and the Journal of Community Health.