Subject(s)
Education, Veterinary , Veterinary Medicine , Animals , Health Promotion , Humans , Schools, Veterinary , UniversitiesABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: This study evaluated the impact of the Build Our Kids' Success (BOKS) after-school program on children's physical activity (PA) and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Program leaders, children, and their parents were recruited from after-school programs in Nova Scotia, Canada, that delivered BOKS programming in Fall 2020. After participating, Grade 4-6 children (n = 14) completed the Physical Literacy Assessment for Youth Self (PLAYself), Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C), the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES), and 5 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Patient-Reported Outcomes Measures Information System (PROMIS) scales. Children (n = 7), parents (n = 5), and program leaders (n = 3) completed interviews, which were analyzed for themes inductively. RESULTS: The average PAQ-C score was 2.70 ± 0.48, PLAYself was 68.23 ± 13.12, and PACES was 4.22 ± 0.59 (mean ± SD). NIH PROMIS scores were below standard means (cognitive function, family relationships) or within normal limits (peer relationships, positive affect, and life satisfaction). A thematic analysis of interviews revealed that children's PA levels were impacted by the pandemic and that BOKS positively impacted children's physical well-being and integrated well with school-based activities. CONCLUSIONS: Participation in BOKS provided an overall positive experience and may have mitigated COVID-19-related declines in PA in well-being. The results of this evaluation can inform future physically-active after-school programming.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Adolescent , COVID-19/epidemiology , Child , Exercise , Humans , Nova Scotia , Pandemics , SchoolsABSTRACT
Children's physical activity participation declined during the COVID-19 pandemic, and these negative changes could lead to longer-term impacts on children's cognitive, social, and emotional health. PURPOSE: To determine parent/caregivers' perceptions of their children's cognitive function, peer and family relationships, life satisfaction, physical activity, sleep, positive affect, and global health, before and after participating in the Build Our Kids' Success (BOKS) programming at after-school programs in Fall 2020. METHODS: Parents of children participating in the BOKS programming at after-school programs in Nova Scotia, Canada, were recruited. At baseline, 159 parents completed the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Patient-Reported Outcomes Measures Information System (PROMIS) parent-proxy questionnaire, and 75 parents completed the measures at follow-up. Independent t-tests were used to determine if there were differences between baseline and follow-up Parent Proxy Questionnaire data. RESULTS: All NIH PROMIS outcome variables at baseline and follow-up were within normal limits (Adjusted T-Scores: 46.67 ± 7.15 to 50.04 ± 7.13). There were no significant differences in life satisfaction (t(188) = -1.05, p = 0.30), family relationships (t(189) = 0.31, p = 0.76), cognitive function (t(199) = -1.16, p = 0.25), peer relationships (t(192) = -1.86, p = 0.06), positive affect (t(195) = 0.25, p = 0.81), global health (t(216) = -0.43, p = 0.67), physical activity (t(202) = 0.787, p = 0.732), sleep disturbance (t(193) = 1.72, p = 0.087), or psychological stress (t(196) = 1.896, p = 0.059), from baseline to follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Parent-proxy questionnaires suggested that the BOKS programming had a protective effect on children's health behaviours and cognitive, social, and emotional health as values remained within normal limits and were not impacted by the public health restrictions during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nova Scotia.