Reducing Health Disparities in Childhood Obesity
Study Details
Study Description
Brief Summary
In this study, we will address cost barriers to participating in summer programs and hypothesize this will lead to marked improvements in children's obesogenic behaviors and a reduction in excessive, unhealthy weight gain over summer.
| Condition or Disease | Intervention/Treatment | Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
N/A |
Detailed Description
For this study, we will rigorously test the impact of providing access to existing community-operated summer programs on weight status (i.e., BMI z-score) and obesogenic behaviors of 1st-3rd grade children from low-income households. Using a pragmatic, Type II hybrid effectiveness-implementation randomized design, we will compare changes in weight status and obesogenic behaviors of children from low-income households randomized to one of two conditions: free summer programming or comparison/control.
Study Design
Arms and Interventions
| Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
|---|---|
| Experimental: Summer Programming The summer day camps are not singularly focused, such as sport camps or academic only camps. Rather, the camps provide indoor and outdoor opportunities for children to be physically active each day, provide enrichment and academic programming, as well as provide breakfast, lunch, and snacks. To standardize programming, the schools operate their camps on the same daily schedules which are developed by the same district-level personnel, with identical programmatic content delivered across all schools. The schools also provide the same meals to all children enrolled. The meals adhere to the Summer Food Service Program nutrition guidelines and are reimbursed through existing federal food programs. |
Behavioral: Free Summer Programming
The summer day camps are not singularly focused, such as sport camps or academic only camps. Rather, the camps provide indoor and outdoor opportunities for children to be physically active each day, provide enrichment and academic programming, as well as provide breakfast, lunch, and snacks. To standardize programming, the schools operate their camps on the same daily schedules which are developed by the same district-level personnel, with identical programmatic content delivered across all schools. The schools also provide the same meals to all children enrolled. The meals adhere to the Summer Food Service Program nutrition guidelines and are reimbursed through existing federal food programs.
|
| No Intervention: Comparison/Control The children in the control group will be children enrolled in the same schools as those randomized to receive summer programming. The comparison/control group will not receive a voucher to attend a summer camp. |
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcome Measures
- BMI [Baseline (month 0), 9 months, and 12 months]
Change in Body Mass Index - height and weight
Secondary Outcome Measures
- Physical Activity [7 months and 10 months]
Accelerometer-derived physical activity (minutes per day)
- Sleep [7 months and 10 months]
Accelerometer-derived sleep (minutes per day)
- Diet [7 months and 10 months]
Parent report of child dietary intake (healthy eating index)
- Screen Time [7 months and 10 months]
Parent report of screen time usage (minutes per day)
Eligibility Criteria
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
1st through 3rd grade students in the participating schools.
Exclusion Criteria:
The only exclusion criteria will be the diagnosis of an intellectual disability, such as:
Autism Spectrum Disorder Down Syndrome Fragile X Fetal Alcohol and/or a physical disability, such as wheelchair use
This decision was made because of the added resources required to evaluate these children, as well as the inability to sample enough of these children to adequately draw conclusions.
No other exclusion criteria will be used.
Contacts and Locations
Locations
| Site | City | State | Country | Postal Code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of South Carolina | Columbia | South Carolina | United States | 29201 |
| 2 | Michael Beets | Columbia | South Carolina | United States | 29208 |
Sponsors and Collaborators
- University of South Carolina
Investigators
None specified.Study Documents (Full-Text)
None provided.More Information
Publications
None provided.- Pro00086238