Clinical trial NCT04963426: Empowering Adolescents to Lead Change Using Health Data
Official title: Empowering Adolescents to Lead Change Using Health Data
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: RECRUITING
Phase: NA
Conditions: Healthy
Keywords: adolescent health
students
schools
risk factors
protective factors
school health services
Lead sponsor: World Health Organization
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Fondation Botnar
name: University of Bern
name: University of Wollongong
First posted: 2021-07-15
Enrollment: 12612
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 13
Maximum age (years): 17
Standard ages: CHILD
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: OTHER

Brief summary: This study is a cluster randomized trial carried out in schools of secondary cities of four low- and middle income countries. Baseline surveys in 30 randomly selected schools will assess the health behaviours of 13-17 year old students as well as school policies and practices. The intervention arm (15 schools) will use the baseline information to develop a package of actions in collaboration with students, teachers, and local authorities that will subsequently be implemented an monitored over two years. Follow-up surveys to evaluate the effectiveness of the implemented actions will be conducted after two years in all 30 previously selected schools.

Detailed description: The objective of this study is to generate health information through school surveys and use this information directly and locally, involving adolescents, to change policies and plan programmes to improve health.

The study is carried out in secondary cities of four low- and middle income countries, including Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana; Jaipur, India; Spanish Town, Jamaica; and Fez, Morocco.

In each of the four cities, 30 schools are randomly selected. Baseline surveys will be conducted to assess (1) 13-17 year old student's health behaviours using the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS); and (2) health policies and practices in the selected schools using the Global School Health Policies and Practices Study (G-SHPPS). Additionally, the physical activity module of the GSHS questionnaire will be validated against objective measurement devices in one randomly selected class of 15 randomly selected schools.

Schools will be randomly allocated to the intervention (15 schools) or control arm (15 schools) of the study. The intervention group will participate in interactive workshops using the Global Accelerated Action for the Health of Adolescents (Global AA-HA!) approach and the framework of Making every school a health-promoting school to:

1. Identify adolescent health needs through exploring the collected data;
2. Assess policies and practices already in place;
3. Identify gaps and needs for action to improve health. Students, teachers and local authorities will propose and prioritize policy and programme solutions from menus of effective interventions for school-, community- or city-level implementation, supported by the Ministries of Health and Education and WHO.

Repeat GSHS and G-SHPPS surveys will be conducted two years later in all schools to assess effectiveness of the interventions.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* School going
* Aged 13-17 years

Exclusion Criteria:

* Not going to school
* Outside the age range 13-17 years

Primary outcomes:
measure: Alcohol use
timeFrame: Two years
measure: Dietary behaviors
timeFrame: Two years
measure: Drug use
timeFrame: Two years
measure: Hygiene
timeFrame: Two years
measure: Mental health
timeFrame: Two years
measure: Physical activity
timeFrame: Two years
measure: Protective factors
timeFrame: Two years
measure: Sexual behaviors
timeFrame: Two years
measure: Tobacco use
timeFrame: Two years
measure: Violence and unintentional injury
timeFrame: Two years
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
measure: School-level policies and practices
timeFrame: Two years
Locations:
city: Sekondi-Takoradi
country: Ghana
facility: WHO
city: Jaipur
country: India
facility: WHO
city: Spanish Town
country: Jamaica
facility: WHO
city: Fez
country: Morocco
facility: WHO
city: Geneva
country: Switzerland
facility: WHO
Study officials:
affiliation: World Health Organization
name: Regina Guthold, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: