A study released this week reports that after-school programs in Oklahoma are an effective tool in preventing childhood obesity and that the majority of local parents believe their kids are fed healthy snacks at after-school programs. The report relied on the findings of a study called Kids on the Move: Afterschool Programs Promoting Healthy Eating and Physical Activity. The survey was conducted by Shugoll Research for the Afterschool Alliance.
The findings are based on responses from 30,000 households across the country, 200 of them in Oklahoma.
In the survey, 69 percent of Oklahoma parents (72 percent nationally) report their child’s after-school program provides children with beverages, snacks and/or meals, and 78 percent in Oklahoma are satisfied that the food served is healthy.
In addition, 82 percent report their selected after-school program offers opportunities for physical activity. Eighty-seven percent of parents surveyed in Oklahoma say they're satisfied with the amount of physical activity offered.
Key national findings from Kids on the Move:
- Older youth are less likely than younger children to attend an after-school program that offers food and less likely to be physically active in their program.
- Providing healthy food during after-school programs is especially important to low-income, African-American and Hispanic parents.
- Opportunities for physical activity are important to African-American, Hispanic and low-income parents.
To read the entire report, click here. For a resource list of after-school programs in Oklahoma City, click here.