This study provided the first experimental evidence that efforts to increase physical activity behavior in preadolescent girls would benefit from a meaningful engagement of fathers. Clinical Trial information: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12615000022561.

Current physical activity and fitness levels among adolescents are low, increasing the risk of chronic disease. Although the efficacy of high intensity interval training (HIIT) for improving metabolic health is now well established, it is not known if this type of activity can be effective to improve adolescent health. The primary aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness and feasibility of embedding HIIT into the school day. A 3-arm pilot randomized controlled trial was conducted in one secondary school in Newcastle, Australia. Participants (n = 65; mean age = 15.8(0.6) years) were randomized into one of three conditions: aerobic exercise program (AEP) (n = 21), resistance and aerobic exercise program (RAP) (n = 22) and control (n = 22). The 8-week intervention consisted of three HIIT sessions per week (8–10 min/session), delivered during physical education (PE) lessons or at lunchtime. Assessments were conducted at baseline and post-intervention to detect changes in cardiorespiratory fitness (multi-stage shuttle-run), muscular fitness (push-up, standing long jump tests), body composition (Body Mass Index (BMI), BMI-z scores, waist circumference) and physical activity motivation (questionnaire), by researchers blinded to treatment allocation. Intervention effects for outcomes were examined using linear mixed models, and Cohen's d effect sizes were reported. Participants in the AEP and RAP groups had moderate intervention effects for waist circumference (p = 0.024), BMI-z (p = 0.037) and BMI (not significant) in comparison to the control group. A small intervention effect was also evident for cardiorespiratory fitness in the RAP group.

The school-based RT intervention resulted in immediate and sustained improvements in upper body MF and RT skill competency, demonstrating an effective and scalable approach to delivering RT within secondary schools.

ACTRN12614000163606.

Objective: To increase girls' well-being, strategies are needed to optimize their social-emotional competence during childhood. Although positive fathering is important for girls, many fathers discount their unique influence and few participate in interventions. The Dads And Daughters Exercising and Empowered (DADEE) program was developed to engage fathers and their daughters through shared physical activity experiences. This study examined the program's impact on girls' well-being and the father-daughter relationship. Method: Overall, 115 fathers (age range: 29 -53 years) and 153 daughters (age range: 4 -12 years) were randomized to (1) the DADEE program (9 weekly educational and practical sessions plus home-based challenges) or (2) a wait-list control. Assessments were baseline, 2 months (postintervention), and 9 months (94% retention). Daughters' social-emotional well-being was measured with the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment composite. Secondary outcomes included additional well-being indicators (e.g., global self-perception) plus validated measures of father involvement and father-daughter relationship quality. Results: At 2 months, intervention daughters showed a mediumto-large improvement in overall well-being (ϩ24.9 units, 95% CI [8.6, 41.1], d ϭ 0.6), when compared with controls. Intervention daughters were also more likely to show clinically meaningful improvements in well-being (54%) than controls (18%). Medium-to-large effects were observed for: seven of eight social-emotional competencies (e.g., personal responsibility, d ϭ 0.4 -0.9), father-daughter relationship quality (d ϭ 0.8, father-report; d ϭ 0.5, daughter-report), daughters' prosocial behavior (d ϭ 0.3) and several indicators of father involvement. Most outcomes had improved by 9 months. No effects were observed for daughters' emotional difficulties or global self-perception. Conclusions: This study provided the first experimental evidence that father-daughter physical activity programs may improve girls' well-being and the father-daughter relationship. What is the public health significance of this article?Cross-sectional evidence suggests fathers may have an important yet overlooked impact on their daughters' well-being. This study provided the first experimental evidence supporting the implementation of targeted cophysical activity programs for fathers and daughters to optimize girls' social-emotional outcomes, enhance the quality of fathers' involvement with their daughters, and improve the closeness of their relationship.