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221 Parent Perspectives on Improving Out-of-School Activities in Low-Income Black and Latinx Communities

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 April 2024

Jaime La Charite
Affiliation:
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Mercedes Santoro
Affiliation:
The County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation
Kate Diaz Roldan
Affiliation:
University of California, Los Angeles
Alejandra Hurtado
Affiliation:
University of California, Los Angeles
Irvine Cindy Flores
Affiliation:
University of California, Los Angeles
Irvine Rebecca Dudovitz
Affiliation:
University of California, Los Angeles
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Abstract

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OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Participating in out-of-school activities (i.e., sports) is associated with improved physical and mental health, but racial/ethnic and income disparities persist. Our goal was to describe parent perspectives to understand how to enhance family engagement in these activities, especially in low-income Black and Latinx communities. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: We recruited parents through a large urban parks and recreation department located in Los Angeles County (LAC) and two community-based organizations who provide services primarily to low-income Black and Latinx residents in LAC. We conducted semi-structed English or Spanish interviews with parents of children ages 6-17 about the impact of activities on families, experiences making it difficult or easier for their child to be involved, and recommendations to meet their needs and facilitate family engagement. We coded the interviews using Dedoose and then performed thematic analysis. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: We completed 34 interviews (17 English, 17 Spanish). Parents shared these central ideas about out-of-school activities: (1) they support families and promote healthy child development; (2) they must create a safe environment and promote a sense of belonging for all families; and (3) service delivery changes reduced barriers, but activities often remained inaccessible. Barriers included lack of awareness about low-cost options, online enrollment, financial costs, waitlists, program timing, inaccessible parks/pools, safety, inconsistent quality, few opportunities for families to participate together, and a desire for more inclusive practices around race, culture, language, gender, children with special needs, and parent involvement. Parents offered recommendations to increase family engagement. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Involving parents in optimizing out-of-school activities may improve access, uptake, and quality of these health-promoting activities in low-income Black and Latinx communities.

Type
Health Equity and Community Engagement
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. The Association for Clinical and Translational Science