Development and Testing of a Sports Intervention to Promote Physical Activity in Rural Girls
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Girls PLAY program.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Healthy. Basic parameters: 8 years — 10 years · Female.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- United States
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Official title
Development and Feasibility Testing of a Boys & Girls Clubs' Sports Intervention to Promote Physical Activity in Rural Girls: Girls PLAY
Overview
The goal of this study is to examine the impact of a 12-week sports sampling and physical literacy program on rural girls' physical activity.
Detailed description
Fewer than 30% of elementary-aged youth meet physical activity guidelines, with lower activity levels found among girls, racial minorities, and those living in rural areas. Sport is one of the best strategies for promoting physical activity, yet girls, Hispanics, and rural populations participate in youth sport at lower numbers and drop out at a higher rate. In line with Self-Determination Theory, commonly cited barriers include lack of competence, autonomy, and relatedness. Physical literacy and sport sampling have also been identified as key determinants of youth sport participation. Developing interventions around physical literacy and sport sampling, with intervention delivery grounded in Self-Determination Theory principles, is a promising strategy for promoting youth sport. However, the few existing interventions aimed to promote girls' physical activity through sport were developed outside the United States, focused on adolescent (versus younger) girls, and/or conducted among urban or suburban youth, limiting generalizability. Rural, Hispanic girls face unique challenges around sport that should be identified and addressed, yet there remains a paucity of information on determinants of sport participation among this population.
This study aims to to develop, tailor, and examine the impact of a tailored Boys \& Girls Clubs (BGC) sport sampling and physical literacy program on rural girls' physical activity levels. BGC is an organization that provides learning and leadership programs to millions of rural youth nationwide, about half of whom are girls.
This study will enroll Hispanic girls ages 8-10 living in rural Imperial County, California. The first aims are to develop and refine a 12-week sport sampling and physical literacy intervention entitled "Girls Positive Learning Activities for Youth", or "Girls PLAY". The Girls PLAY intervention will be delivered as Boys \& Girls Clubs programming, and intervention delivery will be grounded in Self-Determination Theory. We will then examine the feasibility of the 12-week Girls PLAY intervention. Secondary outcomes of physical activity levels, physical literacy, Self-Determination Theory constructs, and sports participation will also be assessed.
Interventions
- Behavioral Girls PLAY program
Girls PLAY program (8-12 weeks) will include 1) a series of in-person sessions, led by Boys and Girls Clubs staff at the Boys and Girls Club sites, and 2) take-home activities. In-person sessions (60-75 min; 2-3x/week) will center around a different developmentally appropriate sport each week. Lesson plans will outline games/activities in which youth engage in fundamental, sport-specific movement skills. Lesson plans will be delivered by Boys and Girls Club leaders using acts of instruction deri
Primary outcome measures
- Recruitment capability [Time frame: Weeks 10-12]
- Study assessments completed [Time frame: Weeks 10-12]
- Intervention acceptability and appropriateness [Time frame: Weeks 10-12]
- Intervention feasibility and participant attendance [Time frame: Weeks 10-12]
- Participant attendance [Time frame: Weeks 10-12]
Secondary outcome measures (7)
- Change from baseline in physical activity levels at 10-12 weeks measured via Actigraph GT3X+ [Time frame: Week 0-1; Week 10-12]
- Change from baseline in physical literacy at 10-12 weeks measured via the Canadian Assessment for Physical Literacy, Second Edition (CAPL-2) [Time frame: Week 0-1; Week 10-12]
- Change from baseline in autonomy at 10-12 weeks [Time frame: Week 0-1; Week 10-12]
- Change in sport engagement at 10-12 weeks [Time frame: Week 0-1; Week 10-12]
- Change in sport enjoyment at 10-12 weeks [Time frame: Week 0-1; Week 10-12]
- Change from baseline in competence at 10-12 weeks [Time frame: Week 0-1; Week 10-12]
- Change from baseline in relatedness at 10-12 weeks [Time frame: Week 0-1; Week 10-12]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- living in Imperial County, California
- identify as female
- aged 8-10 years old
- enrolled at a participating Boys \& Girls Club site
Exclusion criteria
- has a sibling enrolled in the study
- physical or mental impairment that would preclude physical activity or protocol compliance
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Allocation
- N/A
- Model
- Single group
- Masking
- Open label
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
Study locations
United States · 1 center
- San Diego State University — San Diego
Publications
- Johnson A, Bocarro J, Kroshus-Havril E, Arredondo E. Development and testing of a sports intervention (Girls PLAY)to promote physical activity among rural girls: a feasibility study protocol. Pilot Feasibility Stud. 2026 Feb 2;12(1):34. doi: 10.1186/s40814-026-01765-2. PMID 41630110
Identifiers
NCT: NCT06229457 · HS-2023-0186 · 1K01HL171860-01