JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Adolescents are highly susceptible to poor rates of self-perceptions, likely thought of as due to their social cues and environment. As a result, the presence of these adverse self-perceptions has been shown to negatively impact levels of physical activity (PA). Albeit PA has the ability to foster improved emotions involved with these self-perceptions, rates of PA among adolescents are on a continuous descent, with girls appearing to be most susceptible to these declines. Of particular interest, ‘at-risk’ adolescent girls whom may experience a number of negative preceding lifestyle conditions may be exceptionally vulnerable to declines in PA participation. Specifically, there are a high number of adolescent girls from low-income and abusive households in British Columbia, Canada, thus indicating a need for a program to relay the importance of PA and healthy lifestyle behaviours. Objectives: This paper aims to describe the protocol of the Girls United and on the Move (GUM) intervention, an integrated PA and psychosocial program aimed at improving self-compassion, social-connectedness and overall self-perceptions among ‘at-risk’ adolescent girls.

Methods:

Utilizing a quasi-experimental mixed-methods approach, the GUM intervention was conducted in five schools within British Columbia, Canada. Adolescent girls identified as ‘at-risk’ between the ages of 11-15 years were included in the study. The 9-week integrated intervention, delivered by both a trained researcher with a background in health and exercise research and a registered social worker, involved a conjunctive PA component and a psychosocial component complete with evidence-based topics addressing the concerns of the adolescent girls. The following outcomes were evaluated: PA, self-compassion, social support, leader supportiveness, sport enjoyment and commitment. Program acceptability and satisfaction was also examined. Outcome measures were assessed at baseline (week 1), week 6, and post-intervention (week 9), in addition to collecting interview data on a sub-sample of participants concerning program acceptability and satisfaction shortly after post-intervention.

Results:

As of July 2019, we have enrolled 96 participants in the GUM intervention. This study is currently undergoing the data collection phase. Discussion: It was hypothesized that the GUM intervention will enhance PA, whilst also improving self-compassion, social-connectedness, and overall self-perceptions among ‘at-risk’ adolescent girls. The findings of this research will contribute to the literature concerning PA and various psychosocial factors impacting the physical and mental health of ‘at-risk’ adolescent girls.