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The Harvard Family Research Project separated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education to become the Global Family Research Project as of January 1, 2017. It is no longer affiliated with Harvard University.

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Program Description

Overview Pilates classes, which are a series of low impact muscle contraction exercises that train the muscles in the core of the body, were offered to girls as part of a pilot study in two after school programs in Houston, Texas, designed to promote physical activity in a way that girls would enjoy.
Start Date Completed (pilot project offered in spring 2005)
Scope local
Type after school
Location urban
Setting community-based organization
Participants elementary school students
Number of Sites/Grantees 1
Number Served 16
Components Mat-based Pilates classes were offered for 1 hour a day, 5 days a week, for 4 weeks to girls participating at a YMCA after school program. Each class is led by a YMCA certified mat Pilates instructor.
Funding Level Not available
Funding Sources United States Department of Agriculture; Bristol-Myers Squibb Research Grant in Nutrition


Evaluation

Overview The evaluation assessed the effectiveness of Pilates classes on the body composition (body mass, waist circumference, and blood pressure) of female participants.
Evaluators Russell Jago, University of Bristol and Baylor College of Medicine

Mariëlle Jonker, Mariam Missaghian, and Tom Baranowski, Baylor College of Medicine
Evaluations Profiled Effect of 4 weeks of Pilates on the Body Composition of Young Girls
Evaluations Planned None at this stage.
Report Availability Jago, R., Jonker, M. L., Missaghian, M., Baranowski, T. (2006). Effect of 4 weeks of Pilates on the body composition of young girls. Preventive Medicine, 42, 177–180.


Contacts

Evaluation Russell Jago, Ph.D.
Department of Exercise and Health
Centre for Sport and Exercise
Tyndall Avenue
University of Bristol
Bristol BS8 1TP
England, UK
Tel: +44 (0)117 3311141
Email: russ.jago@gmail.com
Program Russell Jago, Ph.D.
Department of Exercise and Health
Centre for Sport and Exercise
Tyndall Avenue
University of Bristol
Bristol BS8 1TP
England, UK
Tel: +44 (0)117 3311141
Email: russ.jago@gmail.com
Profile Updated June 9, 2006

Evaluation: Effect of 4 weeks of Pilates on the Body Composition of Young Girls


Evaluation Description

Evaluation Purpose To determine whether girls liked and attended Pilates, and the effect of participation on body mass, waist circumference, and blood pressure.
Evaluation Design Experimental and Non-Experimental: Pretest and posttest data were collected on 30 girls (average age 11.2 years old) who were recruited through two YMCA after school programs. One site (n = 16 girls) was randomly assigned to offer the Pilates classes (the treatment group), while the other was assigned to the control group. Control group members engaged in their usual YMCA activities during the intervention period and were offered free Pilates classes once the posttest data had been collected. There were no significant differences in any of the outcome variables between the two groups at pretest. In addition, 4 randomly selected program participants were tracked throughout each Pilates session to look at heart rates and perceived enjoyment during sessions.
Data Collection Methods Secondary Source/Data Review: Pilates class attendance data were collected by study staff. Age was calculated from youth self-reports.

Test/Assessments: Youth’s height, weight, and waist circumference were recorded at pretest and posttest. Body mass index (BMI; kg/m2) was calculated, and BMI percentiles were computed using age and gender specific BMI percentiles from the Centers for Disease Control. Blood pressure (diastolic and systolic) was recorded three times using an automated blood pressure monitor, with the posttest value an average of the second and third readings.

Heart rate was collected on the 4 participants through heart rate monitors placed in the center of girls’ chests during each session. These girls also completed a perceived exertion scale (Robertson et al., 2000) and an enjoyment scale (Macfarlane and Kwong, 2003) after each session.

References:
Macfarlane, D., & Kwong, W. T. (2003). Children’s heart rates and enjoyment levels during PE classes in Hong Kong primary schools. Pediatric Exercise Science, 15, 179–190.

Robertson, R. J., Goss, F. L., Boer, N. F., Peoples, J. A., Foreman, A. J., Dabayebeh, I.M., et al. (2000). Children’s OMNI scale of perceived exertion: Mixed gender and race validation. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 32, 452–458.
Data Collection Timeframe Data were collected in the spring of 2005.


Findings:
Formative/Process Findings

Activity Implementation The average heart rate of the 4 randomly selected participants was 104 beats per minute and did not significantly change across Pilates classes. The mean perceived exertion was 5.9 (on a scale of 1–10, with 10 being the highest level of exertion), and also did not significantly change across classes.
Recruitment/Participation Girls attended an average of 75% of the Pilates classes. Attendance patterns did not significantly change across classes.
Satisfaction The average enjoyment level of the 4 randomly selected participants was 4.4 (on a scale of 1–5, with 5 being the highest level of enjoyment) and did not significantly change across program sessions.


Summative/Outcome Findings

Prevention There were reductions in weight and raw BMI favoring the treatment group, but these were not statistically significant. There was a 3.1 percentile reduction in BMI percentiles in the treatment group, compared to a .8 percentile increase among the control group (p < .05). Plotting BMI percentile changes for both groups revealed that the reduction was driven by a small number of girls in the treatment group whose BMI percentile fell considerably over the course of the program. These girls had lower initial values on BMI percentile than other treatment group girls. Most of the other girls in the treatment group also showed decreases in BMI percentile, though these reductions were not as considerable.

Treatment group participants experienced a marginally significant drop in systolic blood pressure relative to the control group (p < .10). No significant effects were found for diastolic blood pressure.

No significant effects were found for waist circumference.

© 2016 Presidents and Fellows of Harvard College
Published by Harvard Family Research Project