Activity-based Positive Youth Development Program Research Articles

Running Toward Equity: Socioeconomic Diversity and Parental Perception of a Physical Activity-Based Positive Youth Development Program for Girls

The Girls on the Run (GOTR) is a national positive youth development program to promote self-confidence, resilience, and self-esteem for girls through physical activity. It also includes an opportunity for parent involvement in a 5K event at the end of the program. Given the evidence on the importance of family support and parent role modeling for children’s physical activity, the purpose of this study was to explore how parents from different socioeconomic backgrounds view their daughters’ participation in GOTR and their own attitudes toward physical activity. Parents were recruited from high and low resource sites for participation in online focus group discussions. Questions included perspective on their daughter’s participation in GOTR, their own physical activity, and participation in the GOTR 5K event. Discussions were recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed from two focus groups with parents from low resource sites (N=10) and two with parents from high resource sites (N= 15). A common theme across resource groups was that GOTR enhances self-confidence, communication skills, and physical activity. More parents from the high resource sites reported being physically active and having supportive environments than low resource site parents. While some parents noted intention to participate in the 5K with their daughter, more parents in the low resource group reported barriers to physical activity and participating in the 5K event. There is an opportunity to encourage and facilitate parental 5K participation to create a ripple effect for benefits of the GOTR program.

Evaluating Girls on the Run in Promoting Positive Youth Development: Group Comparisons on Life Skills Transfer and Social Processes

Girls on the Run (GOTR), a physical activity-based positive youth development program, uses running as a platform to teach life skills and promote healthy behaviors. In this companion paper of our comprehensive project, the authors evaluated program impact on positive youth development by comparing GOTR participants to youth in other organized activities (Sport and physical education [PE]) on life skills transfer and social processes. Qualitative methods complemented quantitative data through interviews with GOTR stakeholders. The participants included 215 girls in GOTR and 692 girls in the same grades and schools who did not participate in GOTR (Sport = 485; PE = 207). They completed self-report measures of life skills transfer, peer and coach relatedness, and coach autonomy support at the season's end. GOTR subsamples of girls, coaches, caregivers, and school personnel participated in focus groups. Girls in GOTR compared favorably to the Sport and PE girls on all life skills-managing emotions, resolving conflicts, helping others, and making intentional decisions-and to the PE girls for all 3 social processes. The GOTR and Sport girls did not differ on coach relatedness and autonomy support, but the Sport girls rated teammate relatedness higher. The GOTR girls' scores on life skills transfer remained stable at a 3-month follow-up assessment. Stakeholders in the focus groups shared corroborating evidence that, through participating in GOTR, girls learn skills that generalize to school and home contexts. Using comparison groups, a retention assessment, and mixed methods, the findings provide evidence that GOTR is effective in teaching skills and strategies that generalize to broader life domains. The processes that explain group differences on life skills transfer include GOTR's intentional curriculum of skill-building activities delivered by coaches within a caring and autonomy-supportive climate.

Staff support promotes engagement in a physical activity-based positive youth development program for youth from low-income families.

Staff support promotes engagement in a physical activity-based positive youth development program for youth from low-income families.

Associations between participation in a Physical Activity-Based Positive Youth Development Program and Academic Outcomes

IntroductionPhysical activity-based positive youth development (PYD) programs offer asset building experiences to foster the overall well-being of youth. These programs have the potential to enhance success in other important contexts for children, such as school. However, rigorous examination of this potential impact is needed. MethodsPropensity score matching was used to compare school outcomes among children who participated in a short, summer physical activity-based PYD program in the USA and children who were from similar backgrounds and from the same school district but did not attend the program. The sample included 149 pairs of students aged 7–12 years (M = 10.11, SD = 1.26) and, in each group, 62% were from ethnically diverse backgrounds, 38% were from primarily Caucasian backgrounds, and 80 were female and 69 were male, and birth years were equally distributed. Ordinal and logistic regression models were used to test for differences between standardized math and language arts test scores, excused and unexcused absences, and total suspensions and expulsions between the two groups. ResultsPYD program youth had 55% and 46% greater odds being in the highest math (χ2(1, N = 298) = 4.06, p = .04) and total days attended categories (χ2(1, N = 298) = 5.58, p = .02) respectively. No other significant differences were found. When using a more rigorous quasi-experimental and longitudinal design, participation in a PYD program predicted some but not all academic performance and behaviors. PYD programs may need to be designed to specifically nurture academic skills to consistently impact academic outcomes.

Girls on the Run: Impact of a Physical Activity Youth Development Program on Psychosocial and Behavioral Outcomes.

Girls on the Run is an after-school physical activity-based positive youth development program designed to enhance girls' social, psychological, and physical development. We evaluated the effectiveness of the program by employing a longitudinal design and mixed methods. Girls (N = 203; aged 8-11y) completed survey measures of positive youth development constructs (competence, confidence, connection, character, and caring), physical activity, and sedentary behavior prior to, at the end of, and 3 months after the season. Subsamples of girls, coaches, caregivers, and school personnel participated in focus groups. Coaches completed information about their team's community impact project and number of girls who completed the season-ending 5k. The full sample improved in confidence and connection, whereas girls who started below the preseason average showed the greatest gains from preseason to postseason on all measures, and scores were maintained or continued to improve at follow-up. All stakeholders in focus groups corroborated evidence of season-long improvement in social and emotional behaviors and health outcomes. Involvement in the community impact project contributed to girls' growth in character and empathy skills. Findings provide empirical evidence that Girls on the Run is effective in promoting positive youth development, including season-long and lasting change in competence, confidence, connection, character, caring, and physical activity, especially among girls who exhibited lower preseason scores than their peers.

Helping kids connect: Participant and staff perspectives on facilitating social relationships in a physical activity-based positive youth development program for youth from low-income families.

Helping kids connect: Participant and staff perspectives on facilitating social relationships in a physical activity-based positive youth development program for youth from low-income families.

Process evaluation of “Girls on the Run”: Exploring implementation in a physical activity-based positive youth development program

Many positive youth development programs rely on physical activity as a primary program component. Referred to as physical activity-based youth development programs, these program designs have great potential for promoting healthy youth development. This study examined how one such physical activity-based positive youth development program was implemented in order to identify design features critical to maximizing positive youth outcomes. This mixed method, multi-site process evaluation of Girls on the Run (GOTR) utilized focus groups, site visits, and self-report implementation checklists. Implementation scores were calculated to assess implementation fidelity across twenty-nine sites, and qualitative data were inductively analyzed to identify factors influential for implementation. Results reveal variability in how GOTR was implemented. Five themes emerged from the data that represented factors serving as facilitators or barriers to programmatic implementation. These included contextual/environmental factors (e.g., parental involvement, relationships with school personnel), organizational factors (e.g., implementation support and responsiveness of staff), program-specific factors (e.g., curriculum design), coach factors (e.g., existing relationships with participants, responsiveness to participant's needs), and youth factors (e.g., behavioral and discipline issues). Study findings have implications for improving the design of physical activity-based and other positive youth development programs, with relevance to evaluators, program planners, youth development leaders, and others working with children and youth.

Social Responsibility among Low-Income Youth in Physical Activity-Based Positive Youth Development Programs: Scale Development and Associations with Social Relationships

Relationships with peers and adults are expected to foster social responsibility in physical activity-based positive youth development programs. Low-income youth (N = 479) were surveyed pre- and post-program.Psychometric properties of a new social responsibility scale were supported. Belonging predicted changes in social responsibility, and leader emotional support moderated the autonomy support- and belonging-social responsibility associations. Those with higher leader emotional support had a stronger positive association between autonomy support and social responsibility. Those with lower leader emotional support had a stronger positive association between belonging and social responsibility. Positive social relationships with peers and staff may facilitate social responsibility.

Correlates of long-term participation in a physical activity-based positive youth development program for low-income youth: Sustained involvement and psychosocial outcomes

This study examined correlates of long-term participation in a positive youth development (PYD) program. Low-income youth (N = 215) age 8–13 of diverse ethnicity participating in a summer physical activity-based PYD program completed questionnaires at the beginning and end of the program (year 1) and at the beginning of year 2. Those with lower BMI and higher attendance and leader support perceptions were more likely to return to the program the following year. Self-worth and leader support perceptions at time 2 were higher for returners compared to non-returners. Among returners, hope increased from year 1 to year 2 and increases in global self-worth across the first year were maintained over one year. Social support is linked to continued PYD participation. Returners had increased and/or sustained positive perceptions of self-worth and hope. Programs are encouraged to foster staff–participant relationships and self-worth, and minimize barriers associated with weight status.