Pre/Post Evaluation of Living Green and Healthy for Teens (LiGHT)
Condition: Obesity, Pediatric
MeSH terms: Pediatric Obesity
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      This study is the first of three sub-studies aimed at evaluating the outcomes of Living
      Green, Healthy for Teens (LiGHT v2.1), an app for 13 to 17 year -olds and their families that
      is intended to help them shift from an unhealthy lifestyle toward better health habits in
      three areas: physical activity, nutrition and sedentary behaviours. This first evaluation has
      the following aims to: 1) describe reach; 2) determine utilization/adherence to strategies
      implemented in the app and predictors of utilization/adherence; 3) assess change in knowledge
      and lifestyles behaviours associated with obesity as well as assess mediators of behaviour
      change. As this is a formative evaluation, it will prospectively follow 500 families for 4.5
      months.
    

Detailed description: 
      Living Green, Healthy for Teens (LiGHT v2) is an engaging online, individualized, gamified
      lifestyle management program for youth focused on initiating long-term behaviour-change in
      youth and their families in order to help them shift from an unhealthy lifestyle toward
      better health habits in three areas: physical activity, nutrition and sedentary behaviour.
      The program aims both to treat and prevent childhood obesity, as well as to mitigate
      increased risk for metabolic and non-metabolic complications associated with obesity in the
      short and long-term.

      Because parents have been shown to be of primary importance in treating childhood obesity,
      LiGHT v2 will educate and engage parents as well as youth. Parents will receive separate but
      complementary content, intended to guide them as they shop for and prepare food and make
      behavioural changes within their families. The content for parents will be delivered using
      the same social software that facilitates peer-to-peer conversations with teen users
      (forums), but the channels will be gated, so teens and parents each have their own space.
      LiGHT v2's social features will help parents strategize and empathize with other families
      facing similar challenges.

      The program will be evaluated using three separate study groups. This protocol describes the
      first of the three.

      A sample of 1400 families (one parent and one child) recruited by an online web panel will be
      screened for eligibility (i.e., children aged 13-17 and their parents). Of these, it is
      expected that approximately 500 will meet our eligibility criteria and express an interest in
      enrolling in the study, and of these, about 50% will actually enroll in the study. This
      evaluation will use a prospective design that integrates pre- and post-evaluations. All
      families will be given access to LiGHT v2.1 to use from their home computer and prospectively
      followed for 4.5 months.

      Parents will complete questionnaires at baseline and after 4.5 months, which assess
      behaviours, sociodemographics, mediators of behaviour change, and satisfaction with the app.
      Teens will complete questionnaires at baseline, and after 1 and 4.5 months, which assess
      behaviours, satisfaction with the app, mediators of behaviour change, and knowledge for
      recommendations for healthy behaviours.

      Parent/child usage will also be monitored using web-analytic tools in order to understand how
      users interact with LiGHT.
    

Intervention name(s): LiGHT v2.1
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): The LiGHT mobile program strives to support youth and their families to adopt lifelong healthy behaviours in four areas - eating, physical activity, recreational screen time and sleep - to foster healthy growth and development, to prevent chronic diseases and manage unhealthy weights.
The program includes content that involve the family, and focus on behavioural therapy as well as dietary and physical activity patterns. LiGHT is intended to be engaging and fun, provide virtual and tangible rewards, and interact with participants multiple times per day. In addition, it will feature a mobile social support network and interaction with a live coach with specialized training in motivational interviewing to support youth/families in changing their health behaviours through messaging and phone calls.
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: obesity; physical activity; nutrition; adolescents; gamification; sedentary activity