Clinical trial NCT03346356: SHCP in 4-H Using Teenagers as Teachers
Official title: Evaluation for Implementing the Shaping Healthy Choices Program in the Nevada County 4-H Youth Development Program Utilizing Teenagers as Teachers
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Nutrition Knowledge
Vegetable Preferences
Youth Engagement
Civic Responsibility
Lead sponsor: University of California, Davis
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2017-11-17
Enrollment: 24
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 8
Maximum age (years): 18
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: OTHER

Brief summary: In close collaboration with the Nevada County 4-H Youth Development Program, the Shaping Healthy Choices Program was implemented utilizing 4-H teenagers as cross-age teachers for younger youth. The 4-H Youth Development Program is an education program of the University of California Cooperative Extension that emphasizes learning citizenship, leadership, and life skills. The program creates positive opportunities for youth to learn, develop skills, and become engaged in their local communities. This is accomplished with combined efforts of youth, volunteer leaders, and University staff and faculty through a fun, hands-on learning approach to non-formal education. As a requirement to participate in the program, all youth had to enroll in 4-H for the 2016-2017 year. Teenagers were initially trained in inquiry-based and experiential learning techniques before facilitating the program. Teenage teachers collectively lead classroom education, garden activities, and cooking demonstrations. Additionally, teenage teachers, UC Cooperative Extension staff, and UC Davis students organized and implemented a community health fair for elementary-aged children.

Measurements were taken on nutrition knowledge, vegetables preferences, civic responsibility, program fidelity, and self-efficacy for teaching nutrition. A parent interview was also conducted to gauge parental engagement and perception of whether their child had behavior changes while participating in the program. Preliminary findings from the parent interview show that children were more likely to support and engage in healthy eating practices throughout their involvement than they had before the program. Children also have expressed interests in continuing their participation in subsequent years. All other data for this intervention are currently undergoing analyses.


Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* The research team will recruit and consent youth study participants and their parents from members of the Nevada County 4-H Youth Development Program. Youth study participants must be ages 14-18 for teenage teachers and 8-13 for younger youth participants. Study participants must be able to attend two-hour bimonthly meetings at the 4-H office and/or (depending on the activity) Food Bank garden in Grass Valley, California. Teenage teachers will also be required to complete ten hours of initial training before the start of SHCP implementation. All participants will be required to join the Nevada County 4-H Youth Development Program if they are not already a member. Teenage teachers' registration fees will be paid for by the research team. Comparison youth will be recruited from registered members of the Placer County 4-H Youth Development Program. Placer County 4-H club members will also be ages 14-18 for teenage comparisons and 8-13 for younger youth comparisons.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Foster children and wards of the state will not be enrolled in this study. Children younger than 8 or older than 18 are not eligible to participate.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Change in nutrition knowledge
timeFrame: Change in baseline nutrition knowledge at post-intervention approximately 6 months later
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Change in self-efficacy for teaching nutrition
timeFrame: Change in baseline self-efficacy for teaching nutrition at post-intervention approximately 6 months later
measure: Change in Civic Responsibility
timeFrame: Change in baseline Civic Responsibility at post-intervention approximately 6 months later
measure: Change in vegetables preferences
timeFrame: Change in baseline vegetable preferences for teaching nutrition at post-intervention approximately 6 months later
Other outcomes:
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