Positive youth development through sport: Assessing developmental outcomes among 3rd-5th grade girls on the run program participants

Background: Despite the numerous benefits of physical activity on mental, cognitive, social, and physical health, as girls move from pre-adolescence to young adulthood, their levels of physical activity decline and consequently unhealthy outcomes are likely to occur. Positive youth development though sport (PYDS) programs combine sport and life skills that may address girl-specific determinants of physical activity. Thus, the purpose of this study was to assess the short-term developmental outcomes of Girls on the Run, a girl-focused PYDS program for 3rd-5th grade girls. Methods: The current study employed a secondary analysis of data collected as part of the pre-post evaluation conducted with one Girls on the Run Council (n=105). The five PYDS developmental outcomes (character, competence, confidence, connections, and caring) were evaluated using a 58-item Likert questionnaire comprised of sub-construct scales pertaining to specific developmental assets. Results: Results reveal increases on all PYDS developmental outcomes with statistically significant improvements observed with confidence, connectedness, and the overall PYDS sum score (all p<.001). Statistically significant increases were observed for the following sub-constructs: social competency (p<.01), global self-regard (p<.001), perceptions of physical appearance (p<.001), and general connectedness (p<.001). Results also showed positive correlations between overall PYD score improvement and increase in physical activity frequency (r=.27; p<.01). Conclusion: Although limitations included a small sample size, findings suggest that the Girls on the Run program may produce improvements in targeted youth development outcomes and physical activity frequency. This study provides preliminary data for further investigation regarding PYDS programs and physical activity among girls.