Clinical trial NCT02144519: Physical Activity and Nutrition Intervention in Afterschool Programs
Official title: Nutrition and Physical Activity Policies, Obesogenic Behaviors and Weight Outcomes
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Childhood Obesity
Lead sponsor: University of South Carolina
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: National Institutes of Health (NIH)
name: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
First posted: 2014-05-22
Enrollment: 2635
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 6
Maximum age (years): 12
Standard ages: CHILD
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: OTHER

Brief summary: The investigators long-term goal is to advance the adoption and successful implementation of policies that promote PA and nutrition in after school programs (ASP) nationwide. The investigators objective here is two fold. First, the investigators will test the effectiveness of two promising strategies designed to 1) increase the amount of PA children accumulate while attending an ASP and 2) promote changes in the nutritional quality of the snacks served. This represents a fundamental step in establishing practice-based guidelines (best practices) for the uptake and achievement of public health policy goals (CA and Harvard). Second, the investigators will examine the barriers and facilitators to implementing these strategies. The expected outcome of this study is evidence supporting best practices for ASPs to employ to meet policy goals.

Detailed description: The investigators will use a 3-year delayed treatment, cluster randomized controlled trial design with 20 ASPs that serve mostly low-income and minority children (approximately 1300 children ages 6-12yrs) in Columbia, SC and address the following specific aims: Aim 1. Evaluate the impact of a staff-level intervention, a professional development training program focused on core competencies to promote physical activity, on children's physical activity levels; Aim 2. Evaluate the impact of a site-level intervention, a snack modification program that includes a discount buying program, on the quality of snacks served and consumed; and Aim 3. Evaluate the implementation of the staff-level and site-level interventions and identify organizational, staff, and setting characteristics that influence the process of implementing these strategies.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

Programs that:

* Operate immediately after the school day
* Operate every day of the school year for a minimum of 2 hours
* Serve a minimum of 30 children of elementary age (6-12 years)
* Operate in a school, community or faith Setting
* Provide a snack
* Provide homework assistance/completion time
* Provide enrichment
* Provide opportunities for physical activity
* All children enrolled, staff, and afterschool program (ASP) leaders in the ASPs were eligible to participate in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Programs that:
* Were singularly focused
* Programs that were physical activity focused

Children that:

* Have any physical and/or orthopedic impairment that would limit a child's ability to participate in regular physical activity.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Change in Percentage of Children Meeting Physical Activity Policy
timeFrame: Spring of Year 1, Year 2, and Year 3
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Changes in Nutritional Quality of Snacks
timeFrame: Spring of Year 1, Year 2, and Year 3
Other outcomes:
Locations:
Study officials:
affiliation: University of South Carolina
name: Michael W Beets, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Beets MW, Weaver RG, Turner-McGrievy G, Huberty J, Ward DS, Pate RR, Freedman D, Hutto B, Moore JB, Bottai M, Chandler J, Brazendale K, Beighle A. Physical activity outcomes in afterschool programs: A group randomized controlled trial. Prev Med. 2016 Sep;90:207-15. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2016.07.002. Epub 2016 Jul 7.
citation: Beets MW, Weaver RG, Turner-McGrievy G, Huberty J, Ward DS, Freedman D, Hutto B, Moore JB, Beighle A. Making Healthy Eating Policy Practice: A Group Randomized Controlled Trial on Changes in Snack Quality, Costs, and Consumption in After-School Programs. Am J Health Promot. 2016 Sep;30(7):521-31. doi: 10.4278/ajhp.141001-QUAN-486. Epub 2016 Jun 17.
citation: Beets MW, Weaver RG, Turner-McGrievy G, Huberty J, Ward DS, Pate RR, Freedman D, Hutto B, Moore JB, Beighle A. Making policy practice in afterschool programs: a randomized controlled trial on physical activity changes. Am J Prev Med. 2015 Jun;48(6):694-706. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2015.01.012.