Healthy Summer Learners
Condition: Overweight and Obesity; Academic Acheivement
MeSH terms: Overweight
Study type: Interventional
Phase: Phase 1

Summary: 
      Summer vacation represents a "window of vulnerability" where dramatic declines in both health
      and academics occur for elementary age children. Currently, there are no summer programs that
      incorporate curriculum addressing both unhealthy weight gains and academic achievement
      simultaneously. This work represents an important step towards addressing important public
      health goals - obesity and learning - through a comprehensive program delivered during a
      timeframe - summer vacation - where substantial and long-lasting negative effects occur.
    

Detailed description: 
      Summer vacation represents an important time away from the school setting for a majority of
      children attending public school in the US. This break is characterized by large amounts of
      free time and involvement in a wide variety of formal and informal activities, time spent
      with friends and family, and travel. Yet for many children, particularly those from
      low-income households, summer vacation represents a "window of vulnerability" in which
      dramatic declines in both health and academics occur. During the summer months (typically 3
      months) children gain a larger amount of body weight compared to the amount of weight gained
      over the school year, and weight gain during summer reverses weight losses achieved during
      school. For academics, it is well established that children from low-income households
      experience greater declines in reading and math during the summer than their middle-to-upper
      income peers. Numerous programs that address these issues currently exist (e.g., summer
      school, summer weight loss or fitness programs). However, these programs are designed and
      delivered at the expense of the promotion or prevention of the other - academic focus without
      health or health focus without academics. Our long-term goal is to develop summer programming
      for widespread dissemination that addresses both lifestyle behaviors (i.e., physical activity
      and nutrition) and academic performance. The objective of the proposed study is to establish
      the effectiveness of an innovative "Healthy Summer Learners" (HSL) program for low-income,
      minority children. The rationale for the proposed research is that no summer programs
      incorporate curriculum that addresses both unhealthy weight gains and academic achievement
      simultaneously. This study seeks to fill this void by testing a prototype learning and
      health-oriented summer program focused on promoting physical activity and nutrition, along
      with content that provides quality learning experiences to develop reading and math skills.
      To accomplish this objective, this study will evaluate over 2 summers the effectiveness of a
      6-week Healthy Summer Learners program delivered within a Boys & Girls Club summer camp using
      a randomized design in a sample of rising 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders. The aims of the study
      are Aim 1: Evaluate the impact of Healthy Summer Learners on children's weight gain and
      academic performance from beginning (end of Spring school year) to the end of summer
      (beginning of Fall school year), and Aim 2: Evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of
      Healthy Summer Learners to children, parents, and program staff.
    

Intervention name(s): Healthy Summer Learners; 21st Century Summer Learning Center
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Physical Activity Component. The physical activity component of Healthy Summer Learners is designed to engage children in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for at least 50% of the time. With 3 hours each day dedicated to physical activity, this translates into children accumulating 90 minutes of MVPA daily. This is 30 minutes above the 60 minutes of MVPA each day recommended by the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.
Nutrition Component. The nutrition component of Healthy Summer Learners is designed to provide healthy snacks and meals and nutrition education via standardized pre-existing curricula.
Food/Beverage Guidelines. Meals will follow the USDA Nutrition Standards for the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs.
Academic Component. The academic component will consist of existing, effective academic programs focused on Math and Reading.; Children in this condition will attend a 21st Century Summer Learning Program.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Prevention