Peer Education About Weight Steadiness
Condition: Obesity; Physical Activity
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The proposed integrated project will evaluate the effects of an evidence-based extension
      education program, Family Fitness Program (FFP) grounded in Stages of Change Learning Theory
      and guided by Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), with and without a peer-education mode of
      delivery on balancing calories to manage body weight (BW), reducing certain foods and food
      components, increasing selected foods and nutrients, building healthy eating patterns [i.e.,
      fundamental principles of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs), 2010] and SCT
      variables. Briefly, the 12-week program will target early adolescent children, ages 11-14
      years, test a peer-education approach to behavioral change and will be delivered as an
      after-school program in local middle schools in support of childhood obesity prevention. Data
      will be collected at baseline (preintervention), after the 12-week program
      (post-intervention) and 6 months after completion of the program (maintenance).
    

Detailed description: 
      The 12-week intervention, either Family Fitness Program, FFP (adult-led control group) or
      Peer-education Family Fitness Program, PE-FFP (peer-led experimental group) will be delivered
      four times in each of the three schools participating in the study from May, 2015 to May 2017
      as an after-school program to early adolescent children, ages 11-14 years, to partially meet
      the stated objectives in research. The proposed integrated project will follow a
      group-randomized controlled trial design. The intervention will be offered as an after-school
      programs in each of 3 schools (Urbana Middle School, Franklin Middle School and Mahomet
      Seymour-Junior High School). Programs will be conducted on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesday, and
      Thursdays for 12 weeks. After children are enrolled in the program, weekday by school will be
      randomly assigned to the adult-led FFP (control group) or to the peer-led PE-FFP
      (experimental group). This process will allow children the convenience of participating in
      the program on the day that is most compatible with their schedules, offer the control and
      experimental conditions at each of 2 schools and maintain randomization to treatment. Thus,
      each school will have 1 control group and 1 experimental group each time the program is
      conducted. Group randomization will occur during the fall-winter 2016 term and spring-summer
      2017 term again. Data will be collected at baseline (pre-intervention), after the 12-week FFP
      or PE-FFP (post-intervention) and 6 months after completion of the program (maintenance). The
      FFP addresses all major elements of the Dietary guidelines for Americans (DGAs), 2010. Each
      weekly lesson will include: 1) 20-30 minutes of moderate physical activity; 2) nutrition
      activities; 3) discussions; 4) self-reflections; 5) goal setting activities for healthier
      eating and physical activity; 6) food and beverage tasting experiences; and 7) parent-child
      reflections. Lesson details are provided below. Incentive items will be distributed
      throughout the 12-week intervention. Adult educators will lead FFP lessons, while
      peer-educators will lead PE-FFP lessons. Study personnel will be present at each lesson,
      along with Illinois-Trans-disciplinary Obesity Prevention Program (I-TOPP) trainees to
      monitor each session and to conduct extension measures.

      Lesson details:

        1. Introduction to Fitness; For children: Introductions; ice-breakers; health and wellness;
           family physical activities and foods Energy balance; physical activity environment; body
           image; vegetables and fruits; family fitness For parents: An Introduction to family
           Fitness

        2. Culinary Skills; For children: Knife safety; knife selection; cooking methods and
           utensils; focus on vegetables and fruits

        3. Culinary Skills in Action; For children: Slicing, measuring, tasting vegetables and
           fruits; vegetable and fruit dishes

        4. Physical Activity: Using Dietary Guidelines for Healthy Food Choices; For children and
           parents: Balancing calories to manage weight; energy; growth and development; growth
           charts; family physical activity values; building healthy eating patterns;
           nutrient-dense foods; flexible food patterns; vegetables and fruits; whole grains;
           seafood; family food choices; family food values

        5. Breakfast for All; For children and parents: Increasing specific foods and nutrients;
           whole grains; vegetables and fruits; nutrients of concern (dietary fiber and potassium);
           flexible food patterns; family eating patterns; finding family time for healthy food
           choices and physical activities

        6. Healthy Snacking and Healthy Food Choices; For children: Reducing certain foods and food
           components; energy-dense foods; solid fats and added sugars; sodium; refined grains;
           label reading (Nutrition Facts label); goal setting for food and snack choices; family
           snack choices For parents: Identifying and Overcoming Resistance to Change

        7. Eating Out and Fast Foods; For children: Reducing certain foods and food components;
           label reading; menu reading; finding fats and oils; portion sizes; food advertising;
           food environment; eating at home with family or eating out choices

        8. Healthy Beverages; For children: Increasing specific foods and nutrients; non-fat milk
           and dairy; water; nutrients of concern (calcium and vitamin D); food and health
           connections; practicing culinary skills

        9. Setting Limits on Sweets and Fats; For children: Reducing certain foods and food
           components; finding fats and sugars in foods; practicing culinary skills; goal setting
           for food choices

       10. Maintaining Physical Activity and Healthy Eating Patterns; For children: Balancing
           calories to maintain weight; Building healthy eating patterns; flexible approaches to
           eating; variety, balance and moderation; label reading; vegetables and fruits; whole
           grains; non-fat milk and dairy; seafood; oils; physical activities for the family

       11. Family Menu Planning; Family food preferences and health needs; food costs and
           budgeting; family menus; shopping lists; family food purchasing

       12. Grocery Shopping; For children: Field trip; in-store choices and selections; food
           costing; Wrap-Up
    

Intervention name(s): Peer-Education Family Fitness Program (PE-FFP); Family Fitness Program (FFP)
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): The proposed integrated project will be implemented by peers and will evaluate the effects of an evidence-based extension education program, grounded in Stages of Change Learning Theory and guided by Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), having 2 arms for the study (with and without a peer-education mode of delivery) on balancing calories to manage body weight (BW), reducing certain foods and food components, increasing selected foods and nutrients, building healthy eating patterns [i.e., fundamental principles of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs), 2010] and SCT variables.; The proposed integrated project will be implemented by adults and will evaluate the effects of an evidence-based extension education program, grounded in Stages of Change Learning Theory and guided by Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), having 2 arms for the study (with and without a peer-education mode of delivery) on balancing calories to manage body weight (BW), reducing certain foods and food components, increasing selected foods and nutrients, building healthy eating patterns [i.e., fundamental principles of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs), 2010] and SCT variables.
Other intervention name(s): PAWS Club: Peer-education About Weight Steadiness; PAWS Club: Peer-education About Weight Steadiness
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: culinary skills; menu planning; grocery shopping; children; healthy eating; physical activity