New study to encourage more teenage girls to exercise.

The Hibernian Community Foundation are helping to launch a new study aimed at harnessing football’s appeal in order to encourage more teenage girls to exercise.

The study will involve collaboration between Hibernian FC, Hibernian Community Foundation and The University of Edinburgh Physical Activity for Health Research Centre in the Institute for Sport, Physical Education and Health Sciences in partnership with the University of Glasgow. It will inform ways of increasing participation in physical activity by young females.

Adolescent girls have been identified as a strategic priority by the Scottish Government’s Physical Activity Strategy due to the small percentage of girls achieving physical activity recommendations. Recently published research findings show that health and fitness programmes connected to football clubs are highly successful in helping men lose weight and increase their physical activity.　 The new scoping study will build on this research to explore ways to use the football connection to develop a platform for reaching teenage girls.

The project follows on from recently published research into the effectiveness of the Football Fans in Training (FFIT) programme for middle-aged overweight men led by the University of Glasgow.

The research team includes Dr Samantha Fawkner and Dr Ailsa Niven from The University of Edinburgh Physical Activity and Health Research Centre, and Dr Cindy Gray, who played a key role in the original FFIT research (from The University of Glasgow).

Research will include an electronic questionnaire sent out to Hibernian FC fans and local secondary schools. Surveys will be active from 5 March for three weeks and can be accessed at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HCFandUOE. The survey will be followed by small focus groups to identify more specific possibilities. The questionnaire and focus groups will aim to determine what appeals to the teenage girls in terms of physical activity and nutrition. The findings are expected in April and will be used to develop a programme that addresses girls’ needs and exercise preferences.

More information can be found at www.hibernianinthecommunity.org.uk/news and at http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/education/rke/centres-groups/pahrc.

Contact: Dr Samantha Fawkner, s.fawkner@ed.ac.uk