Community Characteristics and Physical Activity Among Adolescent Girls - Ancillary to TAAG (TAAG2)

Community Characteristics and Physical Activity Among Adolescent Girls

To investigate the role of community characteristics in physical activity levels of adolescent girls.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Heart Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases

Detailed Description

BACKGROUND:

The NHLBI-funded multi-centered Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls (TAAG) is a group (school)-randomized controlled intervention trial to increase physical activity among a cohort of sixth grade girls over 2.5 years.

DESIGN NARRATIVE:

Because environmental factors can influence the likelihood that a person will engage in physical activity, the study investigates the role of community characteristics in physical activity levels. The research forms an ancillary study to the NHLBI-funded multi-centered Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls (TAAG), a group (school)-randomized controlled intervention trial to increase physical activity among a cohort of sixth grade girls over 2.5 years. The parent TAAG study will be collecting measures of physical activity using both self-report and CSA accelerometers, small monitors worn at the hip that record acceleration and deceleration of movement without the need for any reporting from the participants. Using a radius of 5 miles around each participating TAAG school and around the homes of each study participant, the investigators plan to use geographic information systems (GIS) to gather information documenting proximity of recreational facilities, street design, population density, population mix (ethnic/age distribution), crime, availability of mass transit, neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES), geographic elevations and topography and types of land use. Using hierarchical linear modeling, with girls nested within neighborhoods, while controlling for individual level factors such as race and socioeconomic status, they plan to investigate the relationship of the environment to individual physical activity. In addition, by following girls over time, they plan to investigate whether the effect of the TAAG intervention will be modified by community characteristics. This study will be unique in its scope of exploring the role of community environments in physical activity across six very different urban, suburban, and rural areas: San Diego, CA, Minneapolis, MN, Baltimore, MD, New Orleans, LA, Tucson, AZ and Columbia, SC.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 1556

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Arizona
    • Tucson, Arizona, United States
      • University of Arizona
  • California
    • San Diego, California, United States
      • San Diego State University
  • Louisiana
    • New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
      • Tulane
  • Maryland
    • Baltimore, Maryland, United States
      • University of Maryland
  • Minnesota
    • Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
      • University of Minnesota
  • South Carolina
    • Columbia, South Carolina, United States
      • University of South Carolina

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 11 years to 14 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: Female

Description

No eligibility criteria

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Adolescent girls; Chosen from 6 schools in 6 cities

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Physical activity	We examined the association between built environment features and physical activity	3 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Body Mass Index	We examined the association between built environment features and BMI	3 years

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: RAND
• Collaborators: San Diego State University; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI); University of Maryland; Tulane University; University of South Carolina; University of Minnesota; University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; University of Arizona
• Investigators: Deborah Cohen, RAND

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Cohen DA, Ashwood JS, Scott MM, Overton A, Evenson KR, Staten LK, Porter D, McKenzie TL, Catellier D. Public parks and physical activity among adolescent girls. Pediatrics. 2006 Nov;118(5):e1381-9. doi: 10.1542/peds.2006-1226.
• Evenson KR, Scott MM, Cohen DA, Voorhees CC. Girls' perception of neighborhood factors on physical activity, sedentary behavior, and BMI. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2007 Feb;15(2):430-45. doi: 10.1038/oby.2007.502.
• Scott MM, Cohen DA, Evenson KR, Elder J, Catellier D, Ashwood JS, Overton A. Weekend schoolyard accessibility, physical activity, and obesity: the Trial of Activity in Adolescent Girls (TAAG) study. Prev Med. 2007 May;44(5):398-403. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2006.12.010. Epub 2006 Dec 29.
• Scott MM, Evenson KR, Cohen DA, Cox CE. Comparing perceived and objectively measured access to recreational facilities as predictors of physical activity in adolescent girls. J Urban Health. 2007 May;84(3):346-59. doi: 10.1007/s11524-007-9179-1.
• Dowda M, McKenzie TL, Cohen DA, Scott MM, Evenson KR, Bedimo-Rung AL, Voorhees CC, Almeida MJ. Commercial venues as supports for physical activity in adolescent girls. Prev Med. 2007 Aug-Sep;45(2-3):163-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2007.06.001. Epub 2007 Jun 7.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: August 1, 2002
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 1, 2007
• Study Completion (Actual): July 1, 2007

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 30, 2002
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 30, 2002
• First Posted (Estimate): October 1, 2002

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): March 13, 2014
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 11, 2014
• Last Verified: March 1, 2014

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: physical activity; parks; built environment; adolescent girls; retail outlets
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Heart Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases
• Other Study ID Numbers: 1188; R01HL071244 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)