Vegetable Garden Feasibility Trial to Promote Function in Older Cancer Survivors

February 5, 2016 updated by: University of Alabama at Birmingham
Cancer survivorship has been claimed a national priority, with a call to develop effective interventions that can prevent, delay, or mitigate the adverse effects and comorbidities in this high risk population. Strong evidence exists that a healthful diet and regular physical activity can prevent many chronic diseases and improve physical function. More research however is needed to develop interventions that can produce long-term adherence to healthful lifestyle behaviors. This pilot study is based on the hypothesis that vegetable gardening interventions will be feasible and result in improvements in diet and exercise behaviors as well as improvements in physical functioning and well-being.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

The proposed feasibility study relies on the extant infra-structure of the Alabama Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Program. A total of 46 older (≥65 years) cancer survivors recently diagnosed with a loco-regionally staged cancer with a good prognosis (i.e., ≥ 80% 5-year survival) and with 2 or more physical function limitations will be recruited from select rural and urban counties in Alabama and randomized to 1-of-2 study arms: 1) an intervention group that receives a 1-year mentored vegetable gardening intervention that pairs cancer survivors with certified Master Gardeners, or 2) a usual care control group that is observed during the year, but receives the gardening supplies at study completion. Aims of this study are to: 1) explore the feasibility and acceptability of a mentored vegetable gardening intervention by assessing accrual, retention, adherence, fidelity, and possible adverse events, 2) obtain means and precision estimates, and explore between-arm differences on pre-post changes in physical function and secondary endpoints (e.g., quality of life, fruit & vegetable intake, physical activity, etc.), and 3) to explore participant factors associated with program efficacy (e.g., gender, comorbidity).

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
46

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Alabama
      • Birmingham, Alabama, United States, 35294
        • University of Alabama at Birmingham

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

60 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • diagnosed with a loco-regionally staged cancer associated with an 60% or greater 5-year survival rate (localized and regional staged breast, Hodgkin lymphoma, prostate, ovary, endometrial, colorectal and thyroid cancers; localized cervix, kidney/renal pelvis, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, oral cavity/pharynx, small intestine, bladder and soft tissue cancers; and in situ bladder & breast cancer); and distant Hodgkin Lymphoma, and Testicular cancers.
  • resides in select counties in Alabama;
  • completed primary curative cancer treatments, i.e., surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy;
  • at higher risk of functional decline (≥ 1 physical function (PF) limitations as defined by the SF36 PF subscale);
  • currently eats less than 5 servings of fruits and vegetables/day;
  • exercises less than 150 minutes/ week;
  • speaks, reads and writes in English
  • reside in a location that can accommodate 4 or more Earthboxes or 1-raised bed (4'x 8'), and that get at least 4 hours of sun a day with running water;
  • willing to be randomized to either study arm and participate in the follow-up.

Exclusion Criteria

  • history of lymphedema flares and axillary node dissection of 10 or more lymph nodes on one side of the body;
  • not competent due to mental health or other very serious comorbid conditions (e.g., severe orthopedic conditions or scheduled for a hip or knee replacement with 6 months, paralysis, unstable angina or who have experienced a myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure or pulmonary conditions that require hospitalization or oxygen within 6 months, stroke, degenerative neurological conditions);
  • currently taking pharmacologic doses of warfarin (does not include doses taken to maintain a port); or
  • plants a vegetable garden at least annually

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Mentored Gardening Intervention
Participants in this arm will be provided with either a raised bed garden or 4 earthboxes, gardening supplies, and plants and seeds. A master gardener from the Cooperative Extension will mentor them over the course of a year to plant three gardens (spring, summer and fall).
Behavioral: Experimental: Mentored Gardening Intervention
receives raised bed or earthboxes and gardening supplies and instruction on vegetable gardening
Other: Wait-List
Participants in this arm will be provided with the same gardening supplies as the other group, but will receive them one year after enrollment in the study. They also will receive instruction from a master gardener from the Cooperative Extension at this time as well.
Behavioral: Experimental: Mentored Gardening Intervention
receives raised bed or earthboxes and gardening supplies and instruction on vegetable gardening

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
feasibility
Time Frame: baseline to 12 months
attainment of accrual target of 46 eligible enrolled participants, retention of at least 80% of participants over the 12-month study period and the absence of any serious events attributable to the intervention
baseline to 12 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
physical function
Time Frame: baseline to 12 months
assessed via the SF 36 physical function subscale and the senior fitness battery
baseline to 12 months
diet quality
Time Frame: baseline to 12 months
assessed via the Diet History Questionnaire
baseline to 12 months
physical activity
Time Frame: baseline to 12 months
assessed via the CHAMPS questionnaire with accelerometry confirmation
baseline to 12 months
quality of life
Time Frame: baseline to 12 months
assessed via the SF-36
baseline to 12 months
biomarkers of successful aging
Time Frame: baseline to 12 months
assessed via blood (serum) levels of IL-6, VCAM, d-dimer and telomerase and finger/toenail and saliva measures of cortisol
baseline to 12 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Alabama at Birmingham

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
April 1, 2014

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 1, 2015

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 1, 2015

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
May 24, 2014

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 24, 2014

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
May 29, 2014

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
February 9, 2016

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 5, 2016

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
November 1, 2015

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • CA182508
  • R21CA182508-01 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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