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Intramural/Extramural Sports and After-School Programs
Opportunities exist beyond the school day for increasing physical activ-
ity in youth. Sports and active after-school programs have the potential to 
make a significant impact on daily physical activity levels. 
For more than a decade, the AAP has recommended youth sports as a 
means of obtaining physical activity as well as social benefits (Washington 
et al., 2001). Sports programs typically fall into two categories: intramu-
ral, or within schools, and extramural or inter scholastic, or competition 
between schools (AAHPERD, 2013). The type and scope of each vary by 
school size (Landis et al., 2007) and location (Kanters et al., 2013), as well 
as the socioeconomic status of students (Edwards et al., 2012). Evidence 
shows benefits of participation in school sports for many aspects of health 
and well-being (see Chapter 6).
After-school programs are formal programs for school-age youth that 
operate outside of normal school hours for at least part of the year, are 
supervised or monitored by adults, and are intended to promote growth 
and development (Durlak et al., 2009). Roughly 6.5 million students 
attend after-school programs in the United States. Even after a steady 
increase over the past two decades, the number of such programs is 
predicted to grow as a result of shifting family demographics, such as 
higher numbers of single and employed mothers (Vandell et al., 2005). 
Although after-school programs vary greatly in availability, attendance, 
and implementation, they can provide both structured and unstructured 
opportunities for physical activity and can teach students the behavior and 
movement skills associated with lifelong participation in physical activity 
(Trost et al., 2008b).

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Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School
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