Disseminating health promotion practices in after-school programs through YMCA learning collaboratives.

Purpose: We describe the perceived usefulness of a learning collaborative for translating obesity prevention science into practice at YMCA after-school programs.

Approach: We conducted mixed-methods research to identify beneficial aspects of the collaborative and to assess perceived effect of the collaborative on ability to meet goals.

Setting: Sixty-one YMCA after-school programs serving roughly 2500 children in 21 states.