Helping low-income children ages 6-12 get active through neighborhood park sports programs

Neighborhood Park Youth Sports Program Fee Waiver and Intensive Family Outreach to Promote Physical Activity in Low-Income Children Ages 6-12 Years

NIH-funded research University of Minnesota · NIH-11125926

This project helps low-income children aged 6-12 become more physically active by making neighborhood park sports programs more accessible and affordable for their families.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionUniversity of Minnesota NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Minneapolis, United States)
Project IDNIH-11125926 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

This project looks at how neighborhood parks can help children from diverse, low-income backgrounds get more physical activity. We are testing if waiving fees for youth sports programs and offering strong family outreach can encourage more children to join and participate. We will compare parks that offer these benefits to parks with their usual programs and fees. Our goal is to see if these efforts lead to children being more active and spending less time sitting.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates are low-income children aged 6-12 years from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds who live near participating neighborhood parks.

Not a fit: Children who do not live in the areas of the participating neighborhood parks or who are outside the 6-12 age range may not directly benefit from this specific program.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this project could provide a clear way for communities to help low-income children increase their physical activity and improve their health.

How similar studies have performed: While neighborhood parks have potential, previous park-level interventions have not experimentally tested fee waivers or intensive outreach for youth sports programs, making this a novel approach.

Where this research is happening

Minneapolis, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-10 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.