Girls In Sport Intervention and Research Project: Summary Report for the NSW Department of Education and Communities by the Research Consortium - 14th February 2012

Abstract

In March 2007, the Premier's Sporting Challenge was established to promote sport and physical activity participation among children and youth attending government primary and secondary schools in the state of New South Wales, Australia. As part of the Challenge, the NSW Department of Education and Communities (DEC) commissioned a consortium of researchers (see Acknowledgements page for details) to work with the Department's School Sport Unit and selected school communities to design, implement, and evaluate a multi-component school-based initiative to promote physical activity among adolescent girls. This was known as the 'Girls in Sport' Intervention and Research Project. 'Girls in Sport' specifically targeted girls in Year 8 in 2009 and Year 9 in 2010 with the goal of creating school and community environments that encouraged and supported the full involvement of girls in physical activity, including sport, physical education, recreation and leisure time activities. The primary purpose of the 'Girls in Sport' Intervention and Research project was to determine if an 18-month school-based intervention targeting school sport, the school environment, and links with the local community could slow the decline in objectively measured physical activity among adolescent girls. In addition, the project sought to: promote greater awareness among participating schools and community sport and physical activity providers of the needs, interests and issues for adolescent girls and from this, design more effective programs to meet these needs; improve the physical activity self-confidence and self-efficacy of participating girls; provide opportunities for girls and boys to contribute to and influence decisions about sport and physical activity options for girls; and improve the links between schools and local community sport and physical activity facilities and services.