Girls on the Move Intervention to Increase Physical Activity Among Middle School Girls
Condition: Physical Activity
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The purpose of this school-based trial is to test the efficacy of an intervention to increase
      moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) among middle school girls. The 17-week "Girls
      on the Move" (GOTM) intervention has 3 components. Two individual-level components occurring
      during school hours include: (1) two face-to-face motivational, individually tailored
      counseling sessions with a school nurse, and (2) an interactive Internet-based session during
      which each girl receives motivational, individually tailored feedback messages (at 9 weeks).
      A group-level component, 90-minute Physical Activity (PA) Club provides an important venue
      after school that includes activities to assist girls in establishing a behavioral pattern of
      MVPA. The control condition will complete data collection activities and receive their usual
      school offerings.

      The investigators hypothesize that immediately post-intervention, minutes of MVPA will be
      greater by 16 min./wk. in the intervention than control group; At 9 months post-intervention
      follow-up, minutes of MVPA will be greater in the intervention than control group; and
      immediately post-intervention, cardiovascular (CV) fitness will be higher and body mass index
      (BMI) and percent body fat will be lower in the intervention than control group.
    

Detailed description: 
      Our 17-week "Girls on the Move" (GOTM) intervention for middle school girls applies the
      Health Promotion Model (HPM) and Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and has 3 components. Two
      individual-level components occurring during school hours include: (1) two face-to-face
      motivational, individually tailored counseling sessions with a school nurse (occurring at
      baseline and near 17 wks.), and (2) an interactive Internet-based session during which each
      girl receives motivational, individually tailored feedback messages (at 9 wks.). A
      group-level component, 90-min. PA Club, led by PA instructors (e.g., individuals from
      community; teachers, including physical education (PE); and sports team coaches) provides an
      important venue after school that includes MVPAs (requested by girls in pilot) to assist
      girls in establishing a behavioral pattern of MVPA. The control condition will complete data
      collection activities and receive their usual school offerings.

      The purpose of this school-based group randomized trial (GRT) is to evaluate the efficacy of
      the comprehensive GOTM intervention to increase middle school girls' min. of MVPA and improve
      cardiovascular (CV) fitness, body mass index (BMI), and percent body fat (% BF) immediately
      post-intervention (after 17 wks.) and MVPA at 9-mo. follow-up (F/U; 9 mos. after end of
      intervention). Secondary analyses will examine if MVPA is mediated by cognitive (e.g.,
      perceived benefits of PA, barriers to PA, and PA self-efficacy; social support) and affective
      variables (e.g., enjoyment of and motivation for PA).

      Based on demographics of the urban schools, we expect a low-SES, mixed-race, predominately
      African American, sample. Eight schools will be randomly assigned to the PA intervention (n =
      4) or comparison condition (n = 4) in the fall of yrs. 2, 3, and 4 (total N = 8 X 3 = 24
      different schools). Sixty-two girls meeting inclusion criteria based on answers to a
      screening tool will be recruited in each school during each of the three yrs.

      The long-term goal is to increase MVPA as a means to address the high overweight and obesity
      prevalence among adolescent girls.
    

Intervention name(s): Physical activity intervention
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Receiving individual counseling with the school nurse, tailored feedback from computer program, and after-school physical activity club.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: exercise; adolescent; intervention; female; counseling