First-ever physical activity pilot findings suggest it's different for girls

Innovative online game intervention moves girls to be more physically active

TORONTO, Nov. 8, 2012 /CNW/ - Results of a national pilot study released today by Concerned Children's Advertisers (CCA), point to a promising finding in the search for an effective intervention for physically inactive girls.  The study evaluates the effectiveness of an online game powered by kids' daily activity, as a motivator to change sedentary behaviour and increase physical activity levels.  Findings reveal a marked improvement in physical activity rates during game play, among the least active girls.

"These results are encouraging, especially since inactive girls are one of the most difficult populations to engage when it comes to physical activity," explains Michelle Brownrigg, director of Physical Activity and Equity, University of Toronto.  Brownrigg, whose research team evaluated the findings on behalf of CCA, cites studies that show girls are consistently less active than boys and prefer sedentary activities.

The pilot involved equipping children with a digital pedometer that tracks and uploads their daily steps to an online game, where they create a personal avatar that uses their banked steps to travel within a virtual world.

For the duration of the study, participants were divided into five groups according to average daily step counts, ranging from lowest to highest.  Results indicate that 69 per cent of girls falling in the lowest step count category moved up at least one category during game play, and logged an increase in daily step counts ranging from 1,000 to over 11,000 steps.  Although, the combined daily step count average for all boys and girls also increased by 13 per cent during game play, the increase among boys at any level was not significant enough for them to jump categories. 

Bev Deeth, president of Concerned Children's Advertisers, suggests the disparity in results between boys and girls underscores a challenge for physical activity interventions that aim to address Canada's childhood obesity issue.  "When it comes to tackling the complex problem of childhood overweight and obesity, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. "  Deeth believes the findings also point to a need to recognize differences between what motivates girls to move more versus boys, and highlight a need to explore more gender-based interventions.

It's an issue CCA will evaluate in greater detail in a second pilot, planned for spring 2013.  Thanks to a $170,800 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, an agency of the Government of Ontario, CCA will target at-risk communities in Northern Ontario with some of the highest childhood obesity rates in Canada.

"This intervention has moved the needle, especially where inactive girls are concerned. Now the question is whether these findings remain consistent in at-risk communities," explains Deeth.  "Our hope is that the combined results of both pilots will provide definitive answers that help inform the development of future youth physical activity programming."

For complete research findings and to view a sample of the game: cca-arpe.ca.

About the Pilot

The pilot project (The Living Experience) featured the first ever pedometer-powered online game (GOGOYU).  In May 2012, 253 Canadian children were provided with a digital pedometer that tracked their steps over a six-week period, and gauged changes and improvements in activity levels.  Participants uploaded these steps to the GOGOYU game and created an avatar that used the banked steps to travel to famous landmarks, engage in physical challenges, and access nutrition facts.  With help from Lions Quest Canada - The Canadian Centre for Positive Youth Development, CCA sourced participants from both large urban centres like Toronto, and smaller communities as far flung as Whitehorse, to create a diverse sample that is representative of varying activity levels and environments.

About CCA

Concerned Children's Advertisers (CCA) is a unique non-profit organization and model of corporate social responsibility. Our 19 Canadian member companies are committed to understanding and contributing solutions to challenging issues that impact children, including bullying prevention, self-esteem, healthy active living, and media literacy.  The organization is also supported by numerous partners, including child-centred advertisers, broadcasters and issue experts.  As a committed group of Canadian advertisers, CCA's mission is to be the credible, caring and authoritative voice of responsible children's advertising and communications. www.cca-arpe.ca

SOURCE: Concerned Children's Advertisers

To arrange interviews with the University of Toronto research team or CCA spokespeople:
Alex Dunsmuir, ümlaut marketing+communications t: 416-236-2368 m: 647-244-2475 [email protected]