Utilizing a Logic Model for Planning, Implementing and Evaluating Sport Programs for Youth Who Are Incarcerated

Abstract

Physical activity during adolescence is critical for disease prevention and health promotion. Studies show that youth who are incarcerated have lower levels of physical activity than their non-incarcerated peers, higher rates of overweight and obesity in adulthood, and worse general health over a lifetime. Sport programming is a promising intervention to address these health concerns. However, such programming is currently limited and varied across the juvenile justice system, and little is known about implementation. At the same time, there is a considerable interest in adopting sport programming among facility administrators throughout the United States (US). To address this opportunity in practice, this article describes the process of building a logic model based upon a case example for sport programming in a juvenile correctional facility in the US developed through an academic-community partnership. Findings demonstrate the utility of logic model development to support practitioners interested in designing and implementing sport programming within justice settings and have broader implications for practitioners looking to develop new programs or adapt programs for new populations where little guidance currently exists.

Acknowledgments

Thank you to the volunteers, staff, and administration of the juvenile justice facility in which the sport program operated, and most importantly to the young men of the lacrosse program who are a great source of hope and highlight the critical value of this work.

Disclosure Statement

There are no relevant financial or non-financial competing ­interests to report.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kalyn McDonough

Kalyn McDonough ([email protected]) was a visiting scholar with the Depart­ment of Social Work at the University of Melbourne in Melbourne, Australia during the authorship of this article. She is now an assistant professor in the Center for Sport Leadership, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA.

Erin K. Knight

Erin K. Knight is an assistant professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at West Chester University in West Chester, PA.