2018 TUCKER CENTER RESEARCH REPORT RESEARCH CENTER TUCKER 2018 “Developingphysicallyactivegirlsisasignificantpublichealth issue,butthepotentialbenefitsareimmeasurable.Oneway to develop a national commitment insuring that every girl : has ample opportunity to fully engage in sport and physical Girls Active Physically Developing activity is to use research as a pathway to knowledge.” DRS. NICOLE M. LAVOI & MARY JO KANE CO-DIRECTORANDDIRECTOROFTHETUCKERCENTER THE 2018 TUCKER CENTER RESEARCH REPORT Developing Physically Active Girls An Evidence-based Multidisciplinary Approach Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport 204 Cooke Hall, 1900 University Avenue S.E. Minneapolis, MN 55455 612-625-7327 | www.tuckercenter.org THE 2018 TUCKER CENTER RESEARCH REPORT Developing Physically Active Girls An Evidence-based Multidisciplinary Approach Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport 612-625-7327 | www.tuckercenter.org The 2018 Tucker Center Research Report Developing Physically Active Girls: An Evidence-based Multidisciplinary Approach Available online at z.umn.edu/tcrr-r3 Printed single copies available from: The Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport University of Minnesota, 203 Cooke Hall 1900 University Ave SE Minneapolis, MN 55455 612-625-7327 email: [email protected] Twitter: @TuckerCenter, Facebook: facebook.com/tuckercenter Instagram: TuckerCenter Suggested bibliographic references: Print: Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport (2018, September). The 2018 Tucker Center Research Report, Developing physically active girls: An evidence-based multidisciplinary approach. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN: Author. Electronic: Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport. (2018, September). The 2018 Tucker Center Research Report, Developing physically active girls: An evidence-based multidisciplinary approach. Retrieved from https://z.umn.edu/tcrr-r3 Copyright © 2018 by the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport. This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without fees or permission, provided that acknowledgment is given to the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport. This material may not be reprinted, translated or distributed electronically without prior permission in writing from the publisher. For permission, contact the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, University of Minnesota, 203 Cooke Hall, 1900 University Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455. The 2018 Tucker Center Research Report Project Director: Nicole M. LaVoi, Co-Director, Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport School of Kinesiology, University of Minnesota Editor: Nicole M. LaVoi, Co-Director, Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport School of Kinesiology, University of Minnesota Assistant Editors: Matea Wasend, Borton Fellow & Research Assistant, Anna Baeth, Research Assistant, Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport School of Kinesiology, University of Minnesota Publication Design: Kirsten Mortensen and Todd Spichke, Graphic Designers College of Education & Human Development, University of Minnesota Project Associate: Jonathan Sweet, Program Associate, Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport School of Kinesiology, University of Minnesota iii iv Forward: A Message from the Tucker Center Directors 2018 marks the 25th anniversary of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport. A central part of our mission was—and remains—to engage in groundbreaking research on the impact of sport and physical activity in the lives of girls and women. From our inception we have been committed to making sure that those research efforts should have a direct application not only to girls and women, but to our various stakeholders. This is because the information we produce will inform these stakeholders, from policy makers to educators to parents, about the best ways to ensure that females’ sport experiences are beneficial for their health and well-being. Another part of our mission is to engage in community outreach and public service. Toward that end, in 1997, we developed a unique partnership with the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports that produced the first Tucker Center Research Report: Physical Activity & Sport in the Lives of Girls: Physical & Mental Health Dimensions from an Interdisciplinary Approach. This report examined adolescent girls, a much-neglected population when it came to our knowledge about sports’ overall impact. Using an interdisciplinary approach to investigate the “complete girl” from a sociological, psychological and physiological lens, we discovered that participation in sport and physical activity has become an essential— and beneficial—part of girls’ everyday lives. We also learned about the “barriers that prevent [girls] from reaching their full potential and the kinds of environments in which girls can develop and foster the best parts of themselves both on and off the playing fields.” The scope and impact of our first report were far reaching. It was used by organizations, educational institutions, and recreation centers across the United States and around the globe. We distributed printed copies of over 5,000 full reports and 3,000 Executive Summaries worldwide; countless more copies have been downloaded from our website. Organizations from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, to Sports4Kids in Oakland, California requested copies of the report. Faculty, students and staff members at institutions of higher education not only used the 1997 Report as part of their own personal library, but several professors required it as a text in their classes. On a more personal level, we heard from individuals like Suzanne and Wes Ramirez, parents of a 14-year-old girl involved in competitive swimming in Menlo Park, California: “Keep this issue in the public eye! Girls benefit so much from having athletics as an ‘anchor’ in their lives. When a girl sees herself as strong, involved, committed, and respected, she receives advantages that she will carry with her for her entire life. On behalf of parents of girls everywhere, thank you!” To download our 1997 report, go to https://z.umn.edu/tcrr-r1. v As we approached the ten-year anniversary of our first report, we began to hear from a number of stakeholders that an update was needed. In 2007, we released our second Tucker Center Research Report: Developing Physically Active Girls: An Evidence-based Multidisciplinary Approach. This document once again examined the “complete girl,” a focus which recognized that physical activity does not operate in a vacuum and can impact all aspects of a girl’s life. The 2007 report featured updated chapters which summarized the best scientific evidence available on the psychological, sociological, and physiological dimensions of girls’ participation. It also included an important extension from the original—a “Best Practices” chapter which highlighted a number of best practices, approaches, and programs that were significantly increasing physical activity among adolescent girls. Finally, as was the case 10 years prior, the 2007 report revealed that girls continued to achieve numerous health benefits from regular physical activity, ranging from reduced risks for cardiovascular disease, to increased levels of self-esteem and cognitive development. But we also learned that, as was the case in 1997, adolescent females remained an at-risk population for being fully engaged in sport and physical activity. To download our 2007 report, go to https://z.umn.edu/tcrr-r2. Given the global reach and impact of our first two reports, along with another generation of adolescent girls having access to the sports world, we recognized the need to produce and disseminate a third installment which built upon the previous two. Our current project—The 2018 Tucker Center Research Report, Developing Physically Active Girls: An Evidence-based Multidisciplinary Approach—connects research-based knowledge to strategies and practices which ensure that every girl has ample opportunity to fully engage in sport and physical activity. In addition, this third report continues to examine and expand upon the notion of the “complete girl,” a profile which highlights her intersectional identities as well as her physical, social, cultural, and emotional environment. And finally, the 2018 Report remains grounded in a unique multidisciplinary and ecological approach. THE 2018 TUCKER CENTER RESEARCH REPORT “TCRR 3.0” The 2018 Tucker Center Research Report highlights and distills the most current research across multiple academic disciplines pertaining to girls and physical activity. This “user- friendly” report uses empirically based information, while employing a language that is easily applicable to wide-ranging audiences. The overarching focus of the current report examined two essential questions: 1) What does the research tell us about critical factors (e.g., societal, environmental, interpersonal, intrapersonal) that influence adolescent girls’ physical activity in the United States; and, 2) What are the outcomes (e.g., psychological, physical, social, emotional, spiritual, moral) that participation in sports and physical activity have on adolescent girls? vi An important and much-needed extension from the two previous reports is that we have widened the scope of content areas to reflect the reality that “girls” are not a singular, monolithic group. More specifically, girls’ intersectional identities, as well as the influence