PATHWAYS--FULL SCALE STUDY

July 28, 2016 updated by: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
To implement a culturally appropriate school-based, multicenter, randomized trial that promotes healthful eating behaviors and increases physical activity to prevent obesity in pre-adolescent upper elementary American Indian students.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

BACKGROUND:

The American Indian population, including American Indians and Alaska Natives, totals nearly 1.5 million from over 500 tribes and nearly 300 reservations and Alaska Native villages. Earlier in this century, heart disease was rarely noted in American Indians, but in the past decade, cardiovascular disease has become the leading cause of death in American Indians. Several factors may be responsible for this increase: a decreasing incidence of infectious disease, an increasing incidence of diabetes mellitus, and an increasing incidence of obesity. Previous research on non-Indian populations indicates that obesity is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and that it is associated with increases in other cardiovascular disease risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and low high density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. The high prevalence of obesity among American Indians, coupled with its role as a risk factor for hypertension, coronary heart disease, and diabetes, suggests that a reduction in the average weight of young American Indians would improve their health. Reduction of the prevalence of obesity in American Indians has been designated as a goal for improving the health of this minority population and reducing health disparities in our nation.

The successful 4-1/2 year feasibility study was followed by the full-scale randomized trial involving 1,700 American Indian elementary schoolchildren. Schools were the unit of randomization.

The initiative was developed as a result of consultations with the NHLBI Ad Hoc Committee on Minority Populations, the Conference on Obesity and Cardiovascular Disease in Minority Populations, and the Indian Health Service. The need for the study was reinforced by the preliminary data from the Strong Heart Study confirming the high prevalence of obesity in American Indians. The initiative was approved by the Clinical Applications and Prevention Advisory Committee in February 1992 and given concept clearance by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory Council in May 1992.

DESIGN NARRATIVE:

The Feasibility Phase of the trial was completed in 1995. The organizational structure has been established, validation studies to determine an endpoint and formative assessment of the tribe communities was completed. Intervention including classroom curriculum, food service, physical activity family component and for the measurement methods including obesity, physical activity, diet intake, knowledge, attitudes and behavior, and process evaluation were completed.

The full-scale trial started in September 1996. The primary aim was to test the effectivenes of a culturally appropriate school-based intervention that promoted increased physical activity and healthful eating behaviors to prevent obesity in American Indian upper elementary school children. The primary outcome was percent body fat after three years of intervention. The major hypothesis was that intervention would result in an absolute difference of 3 percent body fat between the control and intervention schools. All students enrolled in the second grade in the participating schools during Spring, 1997 participated in the baseline survey. Baseline measurements were performed at the end of second grade so that the intervention could begin at the start of third grade. The intervention lasted for three years. A single cohort of children progressed through third, fourth, and fifth grades. Schools were the unit of randomization. Forty-one schools in four centers were stratified within each field center on median percent body fat (PBF) at the end of second grade using data from the baseline measurement. Schools within a field center were then ranked on median PBF. Once stratified, the coordinating center randomly assigned half the schools within each stratum to intervention (21) and half to control (20).

The study completion date listed in this record was obtained from the "End Date" entered in the Protocol Registration and Results System (PRS) record.

Study Type

Interventional

Phase

  • Phase 2

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

7 years to 11 years (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Cohort of pre-adolescent American Indian boys and girls followed in grades 3-5.

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

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

Investigators

  • H. Stevens, University of North Carolina

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

September 1, 1993

Study Completion (Actual)

July 1, 2002

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 27, 1999

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 27, 1999

First Posted (Estimate)

October 28, 1999

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

July 29, 2016

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 28, 2016

Last Verified

December 1, 2005

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 88
  • U01HL050869 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • U01HL050907 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • U01HL050905 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • U01HL050885 (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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