Process evaluation of the school-based Girls Active programme

Gorely, T; Harrington, D; Bodicoat, D; Davies, M; Khunti, K; Sherar, L; Tudor-Edwards, R; Yates, T; Edwardson, C

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Process evaluation of the school-based Girls Active programme

journal contribution

posted on 2020-11-09, 10:22 authored by T Gorely, D Harrington, D Bodicoat, M Davies, K Khunti, L Sherar, R Tudor-Edwards, T Yates, C Edwardson

Background

Girls Active is a physical activity programme, delivered in UK secondary schools, with the aim of increasing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in girls aged 11–14 years. This study presents the process evaluation as part of a 14-month cluster randomised controlled trial designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Girls Active programme and which showed no difference in the primary outcome (MVPA at 14 months) between intervention and control arms.

Methods

Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from intervention schools over the course of the 14 month trial. Feedback forms and attendance records were completed at the end of all teacher and peer leader training and review days. At 7- and 14-months, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the lead Girls Active teacher in all intervention schools (n = 10) and staff from the intervention provider (n = 4) and hub school (n = 1). At 14 months, separate focus groups with peer leaders (n = 8 schools), girls who participated in the evaluation component of the trial (n = 8 schools), and a sample of boys (n = 6 schools) were conducted. All participants in the intervention schools were asked to complete an exit survey at 14 months. Teachers (intervention and control) completed a school environment questionnaire at baseline, 7- and 14-months.

Results

The Girls Active programme, i.e., the training and resources, appeared to be well received by teachers and pupils. Factors that may have contributed to the lack of effectiveness include: some initial uncertainty by teachers as to what to do following the initial training, a predominant focus on support activities (e.g., gathering opinions) rather than actual physical activity provision, and school-level constraints that impeded implementation.

Conclusions

Girls Active and what it was trying to achieve was valued by schools. The programme could be improved by providing greater guidance to teachers throughout, the setting of timelines, and providing formal training to peer leaders.

Funding

This project was funded by the NIHR Public Health Research programme (13/90/30). Professors Davies and Khunti are NIHR Senior Investigators. University of Leicester authors are supported by the NIHR Leicester-Loughborough Biomedical Research Unit (2012 – 2017), the NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre (2017 – 2022) and the Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) East Midlands. This study was undertaken in collaboration with the Leicester Clinical Trials Unit a UKCRC-registered clinical trials unit in receipt of NIHR CTU support funding. The Youth Sport Trust or the aforementioned funders had no involvement in the TSC, the data analysis, data interpretation, data collection, or writing of this manuscript. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health.

History

Citation

BMC Public Health 19, 1187 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-7493-7

Author affiliation

/Organisation/COLLEGE OF LIFE SCIENCES/School of Medicine/Diabetes Research Centre

Version

VoR (Version of Record)

Published in

BMC Public Health

Volume

19

Publisher

BMC (part of Springer Nature)

issn

1471-2458

Acceptance date

2019-08-14

Copyright date

2019

Available date

2019-08-29

Publisher DOI

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-7493-7

Notes

The file associated with this record is under embargo until publication, in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. The full text may be available through the publisher links provided above.