Boys & Girls Clubs of America
2017 Progress Report
Encourage 3,400 Boys and Girls Clubs to join a national effort to create healthier environments for children in out-of-school time programs. This includes encouraging Boys and Girls Club sites nationwide to adopt established guidelines based on The National Afterschool Association Standards for Healthy Eating and Physical Activity that address healthy eating, physical activity, and youth and parent education.
Verified Results
Partner Statement
“Local Boys & Girls Clubs are great places for young people to play and get active. For more than 150 years, local Boys & Girls Clubs have served young people most in need helping them develop the skills to become caring, responsible and productive citizens. Sixty percent of Club youth are eligible for free- or reduced-price school lunches, an important indicator of low income status, compared to 51 percent of public school students nationally. Ethnically diverse young people, ages 6 to 18, are serviced by a Boys & Girls Club.
"Four years ago, BGCA made a commitment to PHA that young people would get active and make healthier food choices. More than 755 Clubs committed to adopting Healthy Eating and Physical Activity (HEPA) standards helping more than 105,000 youth ages 6 to 18. Some 96% of physical activity and 77% of healthy eating standards were demonstrated by Clubs through a recent independent assessment.
"The most effective way to build a healthier generation of young people is to focus on developing healthy habits during childhood, instead of trying to correct unhealthy behaviors as youth get older. With young people losing opportunities for physical education and recess in school, Boys & Girls Clubs provide a safe space to play and take part in team sports. Clubs offer fun, creative ways for youth of all skill and fitness levels to get moving.
"To understand the positive impact that Club participation has on youth each year, BGCA compares member survey data to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS). This comparison shows that higher percentages of regularly attending Club members report being physically active every day than their peers nationally. Among youth in middle school, 42 percent of Club boys and 27 percent of Club girls exercise daily, compared with 37 percent of boys and 23 percent of girls nationally.”