Abstract
BackgroundMany adolescents are not sufficiently active and girls are less active than boys. Physical activity interventions delivered during curriculum time have reported weak effects. More sustained changes in physical activity may be obtained by facilitating participation in enjoyable activities. Dance is the favourite activity of UK girls but there is a shortage of dance provision. Dance sessions delivered after the school day could prove to be an effective means of engaging adolescent girls in physical activity. There is a lack of information about the factors that would affect girls' recruitment and retention in an after-school dance programme.MethodsFocus groups were conducted with 65, Year 7 (11-12 year old) girls from 4 secondary schools in Bristol. In-depth phone interviews were also conducted with 16 (4 per school) of the girls' parents. Interviews and focus groups examined issues that would affect recruitment into the intervention, strategies that could be used to attract girls who have little or no previous experience in dance, any factors that would increase their interest in participating in an after-school dance programme and any factors that would affect retention in the programme. All interviews and focus groups were digitally recorded and thematically analysed.ResultsGirls reported that a taster session in which they had an opportunity to sample the intervention content and "word of mouth" campaigns by peers, who did not need to be their friends, would encourage them to participate in an after-school dance programme. Sessions that maximised enjoyment and facilitated socialisation opportunities would enhance retention. Parents reported that encouraging groups of friends to join the programme, and stressing the enjoyment of the session would increase participation.ConclusionsRecruitment and retention campaigns that focus on enjoyment, socialisation, mastery, goal setting and relating to other girls may be effective strategies for recruiting and retaining girls in an after-school dance programme. These factors are consistent with well-established theories of individual behaviour change such as self-determination theory and social cognitive theory. Recruitment and retention campaigns that are targeted to address theoretically derived mediators of behaviour may be more effective than traditional approaches.
Highlights
Many adolescents are not sufficiently active and girls are less active than boys
Girls focus groups 1) Barriers to overcome during recruitment The girls reported three main factors would affect their recruitment into the intervention: 1) perception of the intervention as fun and enjoyable; 2) if the intervention provided opportunities for socialising with other girls; and 3) if the activity sessions did not clash with existing commitments
When the ASSIST findings are combined with the data presented here and situated within self-determination theory (SDT) it is possible to argue that using peer leaders to create a “buzz” about a new activity may be a useful means of increasing recruitment into after-school physical activity interventions
Summary
Physical activity interventions delivered during curriculum time have reported weak effects. Dance sessions delivered after the school day could prove to be an effective means of engaging adolescent girls in physical activity. Systematic reviews of youth physical activity interventions or obesity prevention interventions with a strong focus on physical activity have reported weak or no effects [6,7,8] The majority of these interventions have been delivered at schools by changing existing curriculum provision [6]. Physical activity sessions that are delivered through extra-curricular provision (i.e. before or after school) hold promise as a means of reaching large numbers of youth in a period that is less pressured by competing academic demands [9]. Novel physical activity programmes aimed at adolescent girls could be delivered during extra-curricular periods [9]
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More From: International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity
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