Embedded Files
Improving Adolescent Indian Girls' Health through
Awareness Raising and Sport
Program Development
Purpose Statement
Purpose Statement
The purpose of this capstone project is to develop an intervention aimed at increasing the opportunity for adolescent Indian girls to participate in sport, as well as increasing participants’ life skills and awareness of health topics not addressed in school curriculum.
The purpose of this capstone project is to develop an intervention aimed at increasing the opportunity for adolescent Indian girls to participate in sport, as well as increasing participants’ life skills and awareness of health topics not addressed in school curriculum.
Objectives
Objectives
- Determine the causes behind the low participation rate in sport among Indian girls
- Identify the current resources and programs available in breaking down barriers to participation in sport
- Develop a program that aims to increase both: 1) the opportunity for Indian adolescent girls to participate in sport, and 2) participants’ life skills and awareness of women’s health topics
Hypothesis
Hypothesis
H1: Adolescent girls’ participation in the program will increase life skills and positively impact participants’ self-confidence and self-efficacy.
H1: Adolescent girls’ participation in the program will increase life skills and positively impact participants’ self-confidence and self-efficacy.
Who & What
Who & What
Participants: 30 girls aged 13-16 from one Haryana school district
Participants: 30 girls aged 13-16 from one Haryana school district
Program
Program
- 3-month study
- Meet 3 times a week after school (M,W,F)
- 1 hour educational component in classroom
- 1 hour physical activity component in gym/field
Educational Component
Educational Component
Cover curriculum that is often neglected in traditional schooling, including women’s health and life skills
Cover curriculum that is often neglected in traditional schooling, including women’s health and life skills
Example Topics: communication, team building, negotiation, decision-making, critical thinking, reproductive health, hygiene, and nutrition
Example Topics: communication, team building, negotiation, decision-making, critical thinking, reproductive health, hygiene, and nutrition
Purpose: educate and encourage participants to engage in open and honest discussion about their fears and hopes in relation to challenging traditional gender roles and participating in sport
Purpose: educate and encourage participants to engage in open and honest discussion about their fears and hopes in relation to challenging traditional gender roles and participating in sport
Physical Activity Component
Physical Activity Component
Start by learning basic elements of physical fitness through traditional games and progress to individual and team sports
Start by learning basic elements of physical fitness through traditional games and progress to individual and team sports
Other areas of focus: self-defense, mental well-being, social interaction, teamwork, team spirit, cooperation, self-confidence, and debunking the traditional myths surrounding female’s athletic capabilities
Other areas of focus: self-defense, mental well-being, social interaction, teamwork, team spirit, cooperation, self-confidence, and debunking the traditional myths surrounding female’s athletic capabilities
Athletic equipment, space, and any necessary transportation to local fields will be provided, and participants will be monitored by program directors at all times
Athletic equipment, space, and any necessary transportation to local fields will be provided, and participants will be monitored by program directors at all times
Why
Why
Why this location?
Why this location?
- Lack of data (i.e., low interest in research and participation)
- Ample research conducted in Western countries that links participation in sport with various health and development outcomes
- Challenge the several constraints faced by women in more traditional societies like India
- Lower adolescents’ risk of maternal mortality (i.e., India has some of the highest MMR rates)
Why this project?
Why this project?
- Passionate about sports and health
- Use sports as a vehicle to:
- generate and sustain female empowerment
- lower MMR/chronic disease risk
- Interested in working internationally in the near future
Where
Where
Indian State: Haryana
Indian State: Haryana
Supportive Chief Minister
Supportive Chief Minister
Interested Population (participants)
Interested Population (participants)
How
How
Partnerships
Partnerships
Khelo India
Khelo India
Indian Government Initiative
Indian Government Initiative
Ishraq Program
Ishraq Program
Upper Egypt
Upper Egypt
Mathare Youth Sports Association
Mathare Youth Sports Association
Nairobi, Kenya
Nairobi, Kenya
Potential Grants
Potential Grants
Expected Outcomes
Expected Outcomes
As a result of this program, the following three outcomes will be measured to determine if the objectives were reached:
As a result of this program, the following three outcomes will be measured to determine if the objectives were reached:
- Acquisition of life skills, such as the ability to think and plan for the future, health seeking behavior, and participation in decisions that affect the adolescent’s life
- Expanded social network and capital
- Greater girl-empowering knowledge and attitudes, such as the ability to identify a contraceptive method
Program Evaluation
Program Evaluation
Participants
Participants
30-item Participant Questionnaire
30-item Participant Questionnaire
Completed at start, midpoint, and end of the program
Completed at start, midpoint, and end of the program
Purpose: measure the program outcomes
Purpose: measure the program outcomes
Schoolteachers
Schoolteachers
Interviewed before and after program
Interviewed before and after program
Purpose: obtain an additional perspective of the program’s impact on the participants’ attitudes, behaviors, and interactions at school
Purpose: obtain an additional perspective of the program’s impact on the participants’ attitudes, behaviors, and interactions at school
Future Implications
Future Implications
Future Initiatives of this Program
Future Initiatives of this Program
- Involve the government (Societal level)
- Involve community and family members, such as by conducting home visits (Community & Relationship levels)
- Host awareness campaigns about the various myths surrounding sports and what girls can achieve through them (Societal & Community levels)
- Hold ceremonies at the end of the program to showcase adolescent girls’ growth and achievements (Community & Relationship levels)
A more holistic approach, such as one involving the government, community stakeholders, and family members is imperative to changing deep-rooted attitudes and maintaining a long-term investment in girls’ safe spaces and opportunities to participate in sport.
A more holistic approach, such as one involving the government, community stakeholders, and family members is imperative to changing deep-rooted attitudes and maintaining a long-term investment in girls’ safe spaces and opportunities to participate in sport.
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