Enactment, Evaluation, and Expansion of a Healthy Living Club in an Out of School Setting: A Community–Academic Partnership

Interventions in community settings, where children spend substantial out of school time, may enhance access to evidence-based lifestyle interventions. The Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence (BGCL) and New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center at Boston Children's Hospital partnered to revise, enact, and evaluate BGCL's existing Healthy Living Club and then flexibly expand the program to increase access. The BGCL is within walking distance of three public housing communities and easily accessible to members, of whom 90% identify as Hispanic. The interventions comprised nutrition sessions and either fitness activity sessions (N+FA Cycle 1, n = 63, 26 hours; N+FA Cycle 2, n = 94, 27 hours) or academic basketball practices (N+AB Cycle 2, n = 99, 72–80 hours), leveraging time already in the schedule where fitness could be intentionally promoted by coaches. Among children aged 8–15 years, mean [95% confidence interval (CI)] changes (beginning to end) in percentage above the BMI median were significant [N+FA Cycle 1: −2.4 (−4.1, −0.8); N+FA Cycle 2: −4.3 (−5.4, −3.1); N+AB Cycle 2: −5.5 (−6.9, −4.1)]. Lifestyle interventions, implemented with flexibility in existing programs, had beneficial impact, indicating potential of community–academic partnerships.