Physical Activity in Girl Scout Junior Troop Meetings – Part 1

A large portion of a child or adolescent’s day is typically spent in school, where physical education (PE) and recess periods provide some opportunities for children to participate in physical activity. Nationwide, only 53.6% of youth went to physical education classes on one or more days in an average week when they were in school (Eaton et al., 2008). Overall, the prevalence of attending PE classes appears to be higher among male (57.7%) than female (49.4%) adolescent students (Eaton et al., 2008).
Taylor and colleagues (1999) suggested that structured physical activity sessions such as PE classes might not provide an enjoyable experience for girls. According to these authors, girls may have a fear or dislike of perspiring, and may be self-conscious about their appearance in the presence of boys. In PE, girls can be interested in physical activity, but may be frustrated with inadequate opportunities to participate. They may also feel that boys exclude them in sports and activities, and PE teachers may prefer teaching boys, showing boys more attention in class (Taylor et al., 1999).
Aside from PE, gender disparities among children engaging in physical activity during recess periods have also been shown. Ridgers and colleagues (2005) found that boys engaged in significantly more moderate and high intensity physical activities during recess periods than girls. On average, boys were physically active at a moderate or vigorous level about 33% of recess time, compared to about 25% of recess time for girls (Ridgers et al., 2005). Thus, opportunities for gender-specific physical activities that address the needs of girls may be fitting.
Schools are limited in their ability to address gender-specific needs. They have become increasingly focused on meeting educational and academic standards, which have made it difficult to provide sufficient time for health promotion efforts (Storey et al., 2003). Furthermore, some schools allow children to spend their recess time indoors, which likely promotes sedentary recreational activities during those periods. However, after-school programs have the capacity and infrastructure to reach a large number of children and adolescents. At the same time, these programs have the potential to promote physical activity by providing structured and unstructured opportunities, and by teaching students behavioral and movement skills associated with life-long participation in physical activity (Trost et al., 2008).
Thus, after-school programs may be an important contributor to physical activity of attending children. Trost and colleagues (2008) found that the after-school programs in their study provided approximately 20 min of MVPA daily, though girls were less active than boys (17.3 min vs. 23.7, respectively). Depending on the organization’s characteristics, after-school programs could provide additional opportunities and an alternative environment in which girls could potentially feel comfortable being physically active.