Clinical trial NCT03567200: Girls United on the Move: A Unique Integrated Physical Activity and Psychosocial Program for At-risk Adolescent Girls
Official title: A League of Their Own: Examining the Effectiveness of a Psycho-social and Sport Program Targeting At-risk Adolescent Girls
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Physical Activity
Lead sponsor: University of British Columbia
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
First posted: 2018-06-25
Enrollment: 83
Sex: FEMALE
Minimum age (years): 11
Maximum age (years): 15
Standard ages: CHILD
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: NA
Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: The purpose of this project is to evaluate the effectiveness of a 9-week psycho-social and physical activity program aimed at improving body image, physical self-perceptions, and self-compassion for at-risk adolescent girls. In collaboration with the Elizabeth Fry Society, the GUM program will be delivered to at-risk adolescent girls within the Okanagan Region. Information will be gathered concerning program content and delivery, as well as insights into the participants' experiences with the program. These results will provide much needed information about whether programs integrating psychological, social, and physical components of health are beneficial for this population.

Detailed description: Body dissatisfaction increases throughout adolescence; strong associations have been established between body image emotions and negative self--perceptions, reduced self-compassion, low self- esteem, and depression in adolescent girls. This is heightened in at--risk adolescent girls, including those of low socioeconomic status, who have experienced abuse and who have limited social support. As such, unique strategies aimed at reducing negative self--perceptions of one's physical self and improving self- compassion among at--risk adolescent girls are needed. Engagement in physical activity is one way in which adolescent girls may experience positive self--perceptions, enhanced body image emotions, and increased self--compassion, yet the research has primarily focused on girls who are already involved in organized physical activities (i.e., athletes). To address this need, the research team and representatives from the Central Okanagan Elizabeth Fry Society, a National charitable organisation dedicated to advancing the safety, legal rights, and economic security of women and children, have co--created the unique 9- week Girls United and on the Move (GUM) integrated program (psycho-social and physical activity) to improve physical self--perception, body image, and self--compassion among at--risk adolescent girls living in the Okanagan Region of British Columbia. This is particularly important in the Okanagan where there is a high number of adolescent girls from low income, abusive households, with many facing sexual exploitation and extreme despair, compared to other adolescent girls in British Columbia. Thus, the current aim is to implement and undertake a comprehensive evaluation of the program's effectiveness in terms of physical self--perceptions, body image, self--compassion, and commitment to and enjoyment of physical activity, in order to refine and deliver the program more widely.

This 9- week, integrated program will be implemented in up to 8 middle schools throughout the Okanagan. It includes a 1.5 hour, weekly session held at local schools and facilitated by a trained researcher and registered social worker. These sessions include psycho-social components (e.g., understanding healthy relationships, building self--confidence) in addition to engaging in various physical activities (e.g., soccer, dance, and martial arts). At--risk adolescent girls from the participating schools will be identified and recruited by school counsellors. Each school group will include 10- to 12 participants, yielding a total sample of approximately 80-100.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Participants who identify with experiencing challenges with personal or family lives.
* Must identify as female between the ages of 11-15 years of age.

Exclusion Criteria:

* No specific exclusion criteria, however, only girls that are specifically identified and invited to join GUM by the school guidance counsellors, at the participating middle schools, will be invited to participate in the research.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Body Image
timeFrame: Assessing change from baseline to post-intervention (9-weeks).
measure: Self-Compassion
timeFrame: Assessing change from baseline to post-intervention (9-weeks).
measure: Physical Self-Perceptions
timeFrame: Assessing change from baseline to post-intervention (9-weeks).
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Sport Enjoyment and Commitment
timeFrame: Assessing change from baseline to post-intervention (9-weeks).
measure: Participant satisfaction and acceptability of the GUM program
timeFrame: Post-Intervention (9-weeks)
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Kelowna
country: Canada
facility: UBC Okanagan
state: British Columbia
Study officials:
affiliation: University of British Columbia
name: Cristina Caperchione, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Caperchione CM, Hargreaves N, Sabiston CM, Berg S, Kowalski KC, Ferguson LJ. Exploring the Effectiveness of an Integrated Physical Activity and Psychosocial Program Targeting At-Risk Adolescent Girls: Protocol for the Girls United and on the Move (GUM) Intervention Study. JMIR Res Protoc. 2020 Jun 9;9(6):e15302. doi: 10.2196/15302.