Determining the Optimal Amount of Structured Environments for Healthy Kids (DOSE)

March 9, 2024 updated by: R. Glenn Weaver, University of South Carolina

Identifying the Ideal Dose of Structured Summer Programming for Mitigating Accelerated Summer BMI Gain

Studies show that virtually all increases in children's (5-12yrs) BMI occur during the summer, no matter children's' weight status (i.e., normal weight, overweight, or obese) at summer entry. Recent preliminary studies show that children engage in healthier behaviors on days that they attend summer day camps, and that BMI gain does not accelerate for these children. The proposed randomized dose-response study will identify the dose-response relationship between amount of summer programming and summer BMI gain.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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

Summer is a period of accelerated BMI gain for children (5-12yrs). Studies show that virtually all increases in BMI occur during the summer, no matter children's' weight status (i.e., normal weight, overweight, or obese) at summer entry. Our research team recently developed the Structured Days Hypothesis (SDH), which may explain accelerated summer BMI gain. The SDH posits that structure, defined as pre-planned, segmented, and adult-supervised compulsory environments, protect children against obesogenic behaviors and prevent excessive BMI gain. The SDH draws upon the 'filled-time perspective', which posits that time filled with favorable activities cannot be filled with unfavorable activities. In the context of the SDH, this means that children engage in more obesogenic behaviors that lead to increased weight gain during times that are less-structured (e.g., summer days) compared to times that are more structured (e.g., school days). Based on the SDH, pre-existing community-operated summer day camps (e.g., B&G Club, YMCA), may exert a positive influence on summer BMI gain by limiting children's engagement in obesogenic behaviors. Recent preliminary studies show that children engage in healthier behaviors on days that they attend summer day camps, and that BMI gain does not accelerate for these children. A major weakness in the rigor of these preliminary studies is that they cannot identify the dose-response relationship between structured summer programming and summer BMI gain. Dose-response studies can definitively identify the smallest dose at which a useful effect is observed while simultaneously revealing the maximum dose beyond which there is no further beneficial effect. In the same way determining the effective dose of structure to mitigate negative health outcomes is necessary to inform feasible, scalable interventions and health policy. The proposed randomized dose-response study will identify the dose-response relationship between amount of summer programming and summer BMI gain. The impact of 4 weeks (n=90, 20 days), 6 weeks (n=90, 30 days), and 8 weeks (n=90, 40 days) of summer programming compared to no program (n=90) will be evaluated. Comprehensive implementation monitoring to evaluate implementation will also be conducted. This will identify factors associated with children's summer BMI gain and obesogenic behaviors. The aims of the study are to: Aim 1. Evaluate structured summer programming's impact on children's BMI gain and obesogenic behaviors. Aim 2. Evaluate implementation and contextual factors and their relationship with children's summer BMI gain and obesogenic behaviors. Aim 3. Determine the cost effectiveness of 4, 6, 8 weeks of summer programming for mitigating accelerated summer BMI gain. This work is significant as it addresses a critical public health goal - reducing obesity - through programing during a timeframe - summer vacation - when substantial, long-lasting negative effects occur. This application is innovative because of the focus on identifying the dose-response relationship between structured summer programming and summer BMI gain. This innovation addresses a weakness in the rigor of previous studies and is critical for identifying the ideal dose of summer programming for mitigating accelerated summer BMI gain.

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 (Estimated)

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.
360

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.
  • Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

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

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • k-4th grader in a partner school
  • eligible for free and reduced price lunch (a widely recognized indicator of
  • socioeconomic level and poverty status)
  • parent that indicates "yes' on an informed consent document for participation in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosis of an intellectual disability, such as Down Syndrome, Fragile X, Fetal Alcohol
  • a physical disability, such as wheelchair use, that prevents the ability to ambulate without assistance.
  • Families who plan to enroll their children in a summer camp or relocate (i.e., move) during the 14-month period that they participate

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: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

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.
No Intervention: Control
Children in this group will not receive a voucher to attend a pre-existing summer program
Experimental: 4-week voucher
Children in this group will receive a voucher to attend 4-weeks of a pre-existing summer program
Behavioral: Summer day camp
The summer day camp programs are existing camps which take place at schools from which children will be recruited. The camps are not singularly focused, such as sport camps or academic only camps. Rather, the camps provide indoor and outdoor opportunities for children to be physically active each day, provide enrichment and academic programming, as well as provide breakfast, lunch, and snacks.
Experimental: 6-week voucher
Children in this group will receive a voucher to attend 6-weeks of a pre-existing summer program
Behavioral: Summer day camp
The summer day camp programs are existing camps which take place at schools from which children will be recruited. The camps are not singularly focused, such as sport camps or academic only camps. Rather, the camps provide indoor and outdoor opportunities for children to be physically active each day, provide enrichment and academic programming, as well as provide breakfast, lunch, and snacks.
Experimental: 8-week voucher
Children in this group will receive a voucher to attend 8-weeks of a pre-existing summer program
Behavioral: Summer day camp
The summer day camp programs are existing camps which take place at schools from which children will be recruited. The camps are not singularly focused, such as sport camps or academic only camps. Rather, the camps provide indoor and outdoor opportunities for children to be physically active each day, provide enrichment and academic programming, as well as provide breakfast, lunch, and snacks.

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
Change in Body Mass Index
Time Frame: End of school year (0 months, start of summer), beginning of school year (3 months, end of summer) and end of following school year (12 months)
BMI translated into BMI z-scores based on Centers for Disease Control age-sex-specific zBMI growth charts
End of school year (0 months, start of summer), beginning of school year (3 months, end of summer) and end of following school year (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 South Carolina

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 (Actual)

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.
March 1, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
March 31, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
August 31, 2028

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).
November 27, 2023

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.
December 5, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

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.
December 6, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

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.
March 12, 2024

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.
March 9, 2024

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.
March 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

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.
  • Pro00125467

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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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