Physical (In)Activity Among Low-Income Children and Youth
Robert Halpern (July 2003) Available as a PDF only.
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 The alarming rate of obesity among American children — especially in low income and minority communities — is now rising to the level of what many are calling a national crisis. As health care practitioners and policy experts search for answers to this health issue, physical inactivity emerges as one of its chief causes.
Youth development expert Robert Halpern explores the many roots of the physical inactivity problem, noting that urban environments have become increasingly inhospitable for children's outdoor play and that dealing with physical inactivity requires a broader understanding of health in American society than we've had to date. Halpern argues that the non-school hours are an ideal time to engage young people in a range of physical activities and youth sports.
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Posing the question, "Can out-of-school time OST sports and physical activity programs become staging grounds for fighting America's battle with youth obesity?," Policy Studies Associates conducted a review of current research on the integration of OST sports and physical activity. The report covers:
The guide provides practical information on attendance data for program directors. It is intended to raise awareness among funders, policy makers and researchers of the issues and options involved in tracking attendance and participation in out-of-school activities. The guide aims to lay the groundwork for program-level attendance systems that are capable of feeding high-quality data into citywide systems for tracking youth activities.