The Effectiveness of an After-school Sport Sampling Intervention on Urban Middle School Youth in the Midwest: Posttest-Only Study

BACKGROUND: Effective and scalable interventions are needed to combat chronic low levels of youth physical activity. After-school sport sampling programs may be vital interventions for teaching sports and increasing physical literacy and physical activity, which result in healthy lifelong habits that are maintained into adulthood. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of an after-school sport sampling intervention among underserved youth in the Midwest. METHODS: Youth (n=81) in 3 middle schools within a large Midwest city participated in an 8-month, after-school physical activity intervention that aimed to increase moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity, improve physical literacy, and decrease BMI. Difference scores for this 2-group, posttest-only design were calculated. A series of 2-tailed t tests were conducted to assess between-group differences. RESULTS: The intervention group had significantly better physical literacy (t(115)=7.57; P=.004) and engaged in more moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity minutes per week (t(115)=4.28; P=.04) and steps per day (t(115)=4.29; P=.03). CONCLUSIONS: An after-school sport sampling program may be an effective solution for combating youth physical inactivity. Future research should assess the scalability of this intervention with larger populations and in different areas. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): RR2-10.2196/37126