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Tracking physical activity in adolescent girls Women who have unpleasant middle-school memories of being stuck in the outfield during a co-ed gym-class game of softball, or of being embarrassed during locker room showers, will understand why some middle-school-age girls are unenthusiastic about exercise. But when girls don’t exercise they can gain excess weight and compromise their cardiovascular health and the development of bone density. They may also be more susceptible to depression and more likely to take up smoking. “The literature is pretty clear that as girls leave elementary school and move into middle and high school, their daily activity goes down dramatically,” said Larry Webber, professor and chair of biostatistics at the school of public health and the principal investigator in a new intervention program that aims to involve middle-school-aged girls in more physical activity. “There’s a tremendous need to encourage girls and provide ways for them to increase their physical activity.” Tulane and the New Orleans area comprise one of six field centers across the country where the Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls (TAAG) will take place. Funding will come from the National Institutes of Health. TAAG will work with schools, but its efforts won’t be limited to schools. It will also involve community agencies like the YMCA, the New Orleans Recreation Department and Jefferson Parish Department of Parks and Playgrounds in order to offer out-of-school activities in an extensive, community-wide effort. There are lots of reasons why girls’ participation in physical activity drops off as they get older. Often, the competitive activities offered in physical education class don’t appeal to girls, and they end up sitting in the bleachers during class. Some girls might like competitive sports better if they were given more training in developing the relevant skills. Others might be more likely to participate if they were given non-competitive options. Sometimes there is also a lack of opportunity for activities after school or on weekends. Girls may have to baby-sit younger children after school, or they may not have access to a playground or another safe place to exercise. The problem can be compounded if families don’t support or encourage girls to be active. Researchers plan to conduct focus groups to get some insight into what kinds of activities girls would like to participate in. “The activities that work in south Louisiana might be very different than in Minnesota or Baltimore or California,” Webber noted. A wide range of activities will be offered, since nothing is guaranteed to appeal to everyone. Some activities will serve as an enhancement or substitute for regular gym-class activities while others will be voluntary out-of-school programs. Webber thinks after-school walking or jogging clubs or dance classes could be successful if the logistical details could be worked out. He also hopes to involve athletes from the women’s athletics programs at Tulane and the University of New Orleans in working with girls and providing them with positive role models. “It’s an issue of how to offer more activities that might appeal to girls, how to get them there, and how to get them home,” Webber said. Besides involving girls in activities, the program will also include an in-school health education component. “We have to get across the message about why physical activity is beneficial,” Webber said. “If you’re going to learn about physical activity, you’re going to have to learn something about healthy eating and body image.” In addition, researchers will try to find out if there is a relationship between smoking and physical activity, how physical activity affects academic performance, whether or not the activity level of the parents has an effect on their daughters’ activity, and what other factors in the environment might support or impede girls from exercising. The program will last six years and its success will be judged by how many girls participate, how much their physical activity increases and how much it affects their cardiovascular health. Webber expects that a sub-study looking at bone density will be added to the agenda. Pilot work is expected to begin next fall. Eventually, six schools in Jefferson and Orleans parishes will take part in the main study, with baseline measurements taken when girls are in sixth grade and follow-up measurements at the end of eighth grade. Although TAAG is a research study, it also has the goal of helping schools and community organizations sustain activity programs even after the research money is withdrawn. “This could make a big difference for girls down the road,” Webber said. “It’s a good opportunity for them to participate in activities that they can continue as they get older. Just because they’re not going to play competitive volleyball doesn’t mean they can’t be active.”
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