Our Commitment

The Girl Scout Research Institute, formed in 2000, is a vital extension of Girl Scouts of the USA's commitment to addressing the complex and ever-changing needs of girls. Comprised of a dedicated staff and advisors who are experts in child development, academia, government, business, and the not-for-profit sector, the institute conducts groundbreaking studies, releases critical facts and findings, and provides resources essential for the advancement of the well-being and safety of girls living in today's world. The goals of the Girl Scout Research Institute are to originate new projects and initiatives that bolster knowledge about girls, as well as to synthesize the research that exists on the healthy development of girls. These efforts not only support the development of the Girl Scout program but also supply accurate information to educational, not-for-profit, and public policy organizations, parents seeking the best ways to help their daughters, and girls themselves.

Healthy Girls

Did You Know …

• 41% of girls ages 11-17 believe being overweight is not a problem if you feel good about yourself.

• 40% of girls ages 11-17 say they do not play sports because they do not feel skilled or competent and 23% do not think their bodies look good.

From The New Normal: What Girls Say About Healthy Living (GSRI, 2006), the latest original study on girls' views on obesity, body image, and health.

 

Our Mission Statement:

Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place.

Current Research

THE NEW NORMAL?
What Girls Say About
Healthy Living

By Judy Schoenberg, Ed.M., Senior Researcher; Kimberlee Salmond, M.P.P., Research and Evaluation Analyst; Paula Fleshman, M.S., Research and Evaluation Analyst. (New York, N.Y.: Girl Scouts of the USA, 2006). 116 pp. (Executive Summary, 36 pp.)

On January 25, the Girl Scout Research Institute released a new original research report entitled The New Normal? What Girls Say About Healthy Living that combined focus group research with online surveys of more than 2,000 eight- to 17-year-old girls.

The New Normal? What Girls Say About Healthy Living sheds light on the childhood obesity crisis by asking girls directly how they define health and what motivates them to lead a healthier lifestyle. Findings suggest that today's girls are defining "health" on their own terms, placing the same value on emotional well-being and self-esteem as they do on diet and exercise. For girls, being healthy is more than just eating right and exercising; it is also about feeling good and being supported by family and peers. The study also highlights the important role that adults, and in particular mothers, play in shaping the healthy habits and self-perception of girls.

For the Executive Summary, click here.

For more information, go to the New Normal Information Site.

 

Weighing In
Helping Girls be Healthy Today, Healthy Tomorrow

By Judy Schoenberg, Ed.M., Kimberlee Salmond, M.P.P., and Paula Fleshman, M.S. (New York, N.Y.: Girl Scouts of the USA, 2004). 34 pp.

In the last two decades, obesity rates have doubled in children and tripled in adolescents such that obesity is now the most chronic health problem among American children. Weighing In addresses various underlying causes leading to this epidemic of obesity and being overweight among children and adolescents and the lifestyles, culture, and behavior that have contributed to this condition.

This review also focuses on gender and cultural issues in the research, especially with regard to girls' body image. The main social environments in which girls participate are explored (school, home, etc.) as well as the significant role of media and marketing.

Actionable issues raised within Weighing In for families, youth development organizations, communities, educational institutions, and policymakers to help girls be healthy today, healthy tomorrow include:

• Programs and support systems for youth to address body image and to face pressures from media and peers
• Roles of adults, family members, and care-providers to promote healthy weight and nutrition decisions
• Ideas for communities and food-providers to work for an overall healthier environment for children.

Download the Weighing In research review (PDF, 1.7MB). For more information about the research, or to order a hard copy of the review, email the Girl Scout Research Institute or call (800) GSUSA 4 U.