Effectiveness of the 'Girls Active' school-based physical activity programme: A cluster randomised controlled trial

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Pediatric Exercise Science
• School-based Interventions

Background:

• Adolescent girls globally exhibit low physical activity (PA) levels.
• The 'Girls Active' program was designed to enhance PA in secondary school girls.
• This study evaluates the effectiveness of the 'Girls Active' intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of the 'Girls Active' program on moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) in adolescent girls.
• To explore secondary outcomes including overall PA, sedentary time, body composition, and psychosocial factors.
• To conduct cost-effectiveness and cost-consequence analyses of the intervention.

Main Methods:

• A cluster randomized controlled trial involving 20 secondary schools in the Midlands, UK.
• 1752 girls aged 11-14 participated, with measurements at baseline, 7, and 14 months.
• Moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) was measured using wrist-worn accelerometers.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in MVPA was observed at 14 months between the intervention and control groups.
• Short-term benefits (7 months) in MVPA were noted, particularly in larger schools and specific ethnic/maturation subgroups.
• Some psychosocial outcomes favored the control group, and cost analyses showed no impact on quality of life or service use.

Conclusions:

• The 'Girls Active' program did not demonstrate a significant effect on 14-month MVPA compared to usual practice.
• Subgroup analyses revealed mixed short-term effects and some negative impacts in specific school sizes.
• The intervention incurred costs without a demonstrable improvement in health-related quality of life or service utilization.