The Feasibility of a Novel School Peer-Led Mentoring Model to Improve the Physical Activity Levels and Sedentary Time of Adolescent Girls: The Girls Peer Activity (G-PACT) Project.

Michael Owen,Whitney Curry,Stuart Fairclough,Sarah Taylor,Charlotte Kerner,Maria-Christina Kosteli,Robert Noonan,Lisa Newson

doi:10.3390/children5060067

Abstract

Regular physical activity (PA) is associated with numerous physical and psychological health benefits. Adolescents, specifically girls, are at risk of physical inactivity. To date, there is limited research on PA interventions involving peers, which could encourage more adolescent girls to engage in PA. The investigation aimed to evaluate the feasibility of a novel school three-tier peer-led mentoring model designed to improve PA levels and reduce sedentary time (ST) of adolescent girls. Two-hundred and forty-nine Year 9 adolescent girls (13–15 years old) from three UK secondary schools were invited to participate in a peer-led mentoring intervention (Girls Peer Activity (G-PACT) project). The peer-led mentoring model was delivered in all three schools. Two of the schools received an additional after-school PA component. PA and ST were assessed through wrist-worn accelerometry. Girls who received an exercise class after-school component significantly increased their whole day moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) (3.2 min, p = 0.009, d = 0.33). Girls who received no after-school component significantly decreased their MVPA (3.5 min, p = 0.016, d = 0.36) and increased their ST (17.2 min, p = 0.006, d = 0.43). The G-PACT intervention demonstrated feasibility of recruitment and data collection procedures for adolescent girls. The peer-led mentoring model shows promise for impacting girls’ MVPA levels when combined with an after-school club PA opportunity.

Highlights

Regular physical activity (PA) is associated with numerous health benefits for children and young people aged 5–18 years [1,2]
80% of 13–15-year-olds do not engage in 60 min of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) per day, with girls being less active than boys [4,6,7]
Schools were allocated to each trial arm based on their ability and resources to implement the proposed intervention

Summary

Introduction

Regular physical activity (PA) is associated with numerous health benefits for children and young people aged 5–18 years [1,2]. These include reduced body fat and the promotion of healthy weight, improved cardiometabolic and bone health, and enhanced psychological wellbeing [2,3]. Adolescents are at risk of physical inactivity [4]. For higher-risk adolescents (e.g., girls, overweight or obese) even modest amounts of PA can have health benefits [2], while replacing sedentary time (ST) with

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