Osteoporosis Prevention in Preadolescent Girls

This study will test an osteoporosis prevention program aimed at preadolescent girls between the ages of 10 and 12 who have not yet started their menstrual periods. Girls in this age group are adding large amounts of new bone to their skeletons. Adding more bone at this time of life can reduce a person's chances of developing osteoporosis (thinning bones) in later years.

We will look at how this osteoporosis prevention program affects the amount of calcium in the girls' diets, the amount of weight-bearing exercise they do, and their bone mass measured using ultrasound testing of the heel.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Detailed Description

The study's objective is to demonstrate the efficacy of a behavioral/educational intervention in increasing levels of dietary calcium intake and weight-bearing exercise within an at-risk population in a stage of rapid accrual of bone mass-specifically, premenarchal girls between the ages of 10 and 12. We will use cluster randomization to randomize girls to either the intervention or a program of education only. We will randomize eighteen groups of girls into each arm of the study.

The intervention consists of six interactive sessions using various media (i.e., overhead transparencies, graphics, and three-dimensional demonstrations) to present instructional material. Topics include an explanation of osteoporosis and its modifiable and nonmodifiable risk factors, prevention of osteoporosis via healthy food choices (i.e., high calcium, low fat foods), and prevention of osteoporosis via weight-bearing exercise. Each girl monitors her own progress toward the goal of 1350 to 1500 milligrams of calcium per day. A similar method allows simple self-monitoring of weight-bearing activity. The intervention program is reinforced via monthly self-monitoring for 18 months. The education-only program consists of six generic sessions on healthy eating, physical fitness, and healthy lifestyle choices.

The primary outcomes of interest are higher calcium intake and higher levels of weight-bearing exercise. A secondary outcome of interest is increased broadband ultrasound attenuation of the os calcis, assessed using quantitative ultrasound. In summary, the group of girls targeted is ideal for this intervention because they are at a stage of rapid accrual of bone mass.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment

340

Phase

  • 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 Locations

    • Ohio
      • Cleveland, Ohio, United States, 44106
        • University Hospitals of Cleveland

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

Ages Eligible for Study

9 years to 13 years (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 9- and 10-year-old premenarchal girls (girls who have not started their periods).

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Comorbid conditions or medications that are associated with decreased bone density such as the following: corticosteroids; anticonvulsants; thiazide diuretics; history of cancer; Type I diabetes; thyrotoxicosis; hyperparathyroidism; Cushing's syndrome; juvenile rheumatoid arthritis; connective tissue disease or hemolytic anemia; asthma which may limit ability to participate in the exercise intervention; known history of dietary disorder, including anorexia, bulimia or lactose intolerance; postmenarchal.

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: Single

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: C. Kent Kwoh, MD, Case Western Reserve Univ. and Univ. Pittsburgh

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.

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

July 1, 1998

Study Completion

June 1, 2002

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 3, 1999

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 3, 1999

First Posted (Estimate)

November 4, 1999

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

December 29, 2006

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 28, 2006

Last Verified

February 1, 2003

More Information

Terms related to this study

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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