More than half of the teenage girls who participated in the FIA's GO Curves programme were doing excess of the recommended five weekly 30 minute-sessions of physical activity by the end of the scheme.

The free-to-join six-week programme targeted 15 to 16-year-old girls and was designed to increase physical activity to the recommended levels.

The programme consisted of a weekly one-hour session. Each session included 30 minutes of strength and resistance training and 30 minutes of education - covering a range of topics such as exercise and nutrition, health and attitudes.

Of the 200 students who took part less than sixty percent wanted to do something about their fitness before the programme.

By the time they had completed the course, nine out of ten teenagers reported increased confidence levels and said they would continue to exercise after the programme came to a close.

A quarter of girls reported feeling more confident exercising in an all-girl group and others believed making exercise fun and interactive was the reason for their motivation.

Niki Keene, director, International Wellness at Curves said: "We chose not to weigh and measure the students as part of the programme but instead to focus on attitudes, behaviours, healthy eating and exercise.

"It's not just about looks and size, which is all too much of a focus for this age group."

Dave Stalker, executive director, FIA, said: "Teenage girls are not an easy group to reach in terms of their health and fitness choices.

"We developed the GO Programme to engage them in physical activity early on, with the view to it being part of their daily lives as they grow into women."