Background:
Many adolescent girls do not engage in sufficient physical activity (PA). This study examinedthe feasibility of conducting a cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate an afterschooldance program to increase PA among 11-12 year old girls in Bristol, UK.
Methods:
Three-arm, cluster RCT. Three secondary schools were assigned to intervention arm.Intervention participants received a 9-week dance program with 2, 90-minute dance classesper week. Participants at 2 control schools received incentives for data collection. Participantsat 2 additional control schools received incentives and a delayed dance workshop.Accelerometer data were collected at baseline (time 0), during the last week of the danceprogram (time 1) and 20 weeks after the start of the study (time 2). Weekly attendance,enjoyment and perceived exertion were assessed in intervention participants. Post-studyqualitative work was conducted with intervention participants and personnel.
Results:
40.1% of girls provided consent to be in the study. The mean number of girls attending atleast one dance session per week ranged from 15.4 to 25.9. There was greater number ofparticipants for whom accelerometer data were collected in control arms. The meanattendance was 13.3 sessions (maximum = 18). Perceived exertion ratings indicated that thegirls did not find the sessions challenging. The dance teachers reported that the programcontent would benefit from revisions including less creative task time, a broader range ofdance genres and improved behavioral management policies. At time 2, the 95% confidenceintervals suggest between 5 and 12 minutes more weekday MVPA in the intervention groupcompared with the control incentives only group, and between 6 minutes fewer and 1 minutemore compared with the control incentives plus workshop group. Between 14 and 24 schoolswould be required to detect a difference of 10 minutes in mean weekday MVPA betweenintervention and control groups.
Conclusions:
It is possible to recruit 11-12 year old girls to participate in an after-school dance study. Anafter-school dance intervention has potential to positively affect the PA levels of 11-12 yearold girls but an adequately powered RCT is required to test this intervention approach.