In May 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy released a report about the link between physical and mental health among children and adolescents. The nation’s top health official acknowledged Girls on the Run as an example of a program that is focused on removing barriers for underserved populations to access to physical activity. The report from the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General and the U.S. Public Health Service cited how the program increased participants’ overall physical activity and helped them learn critical life skills, including resolving conflict, helping others, or making intentional decisions.

In Physical Activity: An Untapped Resource to Address Our Nation’s Mental Health Crisis Among Children and Adolescents, Dr. Murthy writes:

“Many  young  people—especially  those  from  underserved populations, such as girls, young people with a disability, racial or ethnic minority groups, young people living  in  rural  areas,  or  young  people  from  lower  socioeconomic households—do not have the same access to sports as their  peers.16  Programs  can  focus  on  removing  barriers  by  providing free or low-cost programs or equipment and locating  programs  in  easily  accessible  areas,  such  as  schools,  to  help increase opportunities for all young people. For example, Girls on the Run is a physical activity–based positive program for girls in grades 3-8. Participants meet after school twice a week to learn life skills through interactive lessons and running games. An independent study of Girls on the Run found that girls who were the least active when they started the program increased their overall physical activity by > 40%. Effects were sustained at a three-month follow-up.  Furthermore, 97% of girls said that they learned critical life skills, including resolving conflict, helping others, or making intentional decisions, and 85% reported improvements in confidence, caring, competence, character development, or connection to others.”

We know physical and mental health are intertwined.

We know our lessons help participants understand this connection.

We know our program makes a positive, long-lasting impact.

Now, we are incredibly proud that our nation’s top health official acknowledges our work at Girls on the Run in this report.

To read the full report, click here: Surgeon General's Report