Be fit with friends leader manual: A training manual and session guide for a multi-component physical activity intervention for adolescent girls in a low-income, urban setting

Innovative approaches are needed to increase physical activity (PA) levels of Latina adolescents who are less physically active than the general adolescent population and at risk for obesity and chronic disease. Two academic institutions and two community-based organizations, including a local Girl Scout council, established the Physical Activity Partnership for Girls (PG) to study community needs and priorities related to PA promotion for Latina adolescents (11-14 years) living in low-income, urban areas of San Antonio, Texas. Using a community-based participatory research approach, PG employed a variety of strategies to plan, develop, and implement a culturally and environmentally relevant PA intervention for Latina adolescents. Be Fit with Friends (BFF), a multi-component PA intervention, emerged out of this participatory process, utilizing knowledge gained from the formative assessments and ongoing feedback from community partners and a community advisory board. The BFF Leader Manual, one component of BFF, guides leaders of Girl Scout troops in the implementation of BFF through information and skills training and program sessions for small groups of girls, all of which promote increased PA and decreased sedentary behavior. BFF uses a variety of behavioral strategies to promote PA, provides opportunities in safe, non-intimidating settings for girls to enjoy PA and develop new skills, and connects girls and families to PA-promoting community resources. The 9-session BFF health education curriculum included in the manual was designed to increase girls' knowledge of PA and health, build behavioral skills and increase social support to achieve behavior change.