Promoting Physical Activity and Peer Relationships in Adolescent Girls Through a Summer Program

Peer interactions and influence affect adolescent physical activity (PA) and mental health. Social emotional learning (SEL) can be key to adolescent development and well-being. This study aimed to evaluate the ripple effects and preliminary effectiveness of EmpowerHER, an integrated PA and SEL pilot intervention, on changes in adolescent girls' PA levels and friendship networks during an 8-week summer care program. Adolescents (<i>n</i>=47, ages 10-14 years) wore accelerometers to measure PA and completed surveys on psychological distress, social connectedness, and friendship nominations at the start and end of summer. EmpowerHER consisted of biweekly 90-min PA and SEL skill-building sessions over 4 weeks for 11 girls within this larger sample. Stochastic actor-oriented modeling (SIENA) analyzed selection and influence processes related to changes in PA engagement and socioemotional well-being. Girls participating in EmpowerHER significantly increased their PA levels (<i>b</i> = 1.57, <i>SE</i> = 0.73) and were more likely to send new friendship connections over time (<i>b</i> = 1.71, <i>SE</i> = 0.73). Higher social connectedness was associated with elevated PA (<i>b</i> = 0.31, <i>SE</i> = 0.12) and increased friendship connections (<i>b</i> = 0.39, <i>SE</i> = 0.18) across summer. The overall sample showed significant increases in daily MVPA (mean difference 9.04 min/day, <i>p</i> = .03) and friendship connections (<i>p</i> < .001) from start to end of summer. This exploratory study demonstrated preliminary efficacy of an integrated PA and SEL curriculum implemented through a summer care program. Participation bolstered objective PA levels and improved positive peer dynamics. The findings highlight the potential of holistic interventions addressing multiple aspects of adolescent health and development simultaneously.