School-Based Obesity Prevention Program

The overarching goal of this initiative is to reduce the prevalence and occurrence of obesity and increase the remission of obesity in children and adolescents through implementation of a Comprehensive School Nutrition Policy designed to promote changes in the school environment that will reinforce students' development of healthy eating and physical activity patterns inside and outside of school.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Obesity
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Nutrition Intervention

Detailed Description

The proposed research aims to evaluate the effects of a school-based nutrition policy initiative on prevalence, incidence and remission of overweight (BMI > 95th percentile). It is a partnership between the Food Trust, the School District of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania. Participants are approximately 1500 students from ten schools in grades four through eight. Half of the schools were randomized to a comprehensive School Nutrition Policy Initiative (SNPI) based on CDC's Guidelines to Promote Lifelong Healthy Eating. The SNPI is a community-based intervention administered by the Comprehensive School Nutrition Policy Task Force that is comprised of 40 individuals representing the public and private sectors. The goal of the SNPI is to change the school environment to: support healthy eating, increase physical activity, and decrease the prevalence of childhood overweight and diet-related diseases. The remaining study participants are in five control schools, matched for ethnicity, SES, and type of food service. Most students are African American and qualify for free and reduced meals at school (household income < 185% of the poverty level adjusted for household size). Assessments of weight, height, intake, activity, inactivity and eating disorder symptomatology are being conducted at baseline and 1 and 2 years.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 1500
• Phase: Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 8 years to 14 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Any child in 4th, 5th, 6th grades in study site schools

Exclusion Criteria:

• Any child not in 4th, 5th, 6th in study site schools

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Weightloss
Weight maintenance

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Risk for overweight status (BMI 85th to 95th percentile)
BMI z-scores, calculated for a given age and gender, will show a greater decline in intervention subjects versus controls

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Collaborators: University of Pennsylvania
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Gary D. Foster, PhD, U. of Pennsylvania

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: October 1, 2002
• Study Completion: June 1, 2005

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 31, 2005
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 1, 2005
• First Posted (Estimate): September 2, 2005

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): November 17, 2005
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 16, 2005
• Last Verified: September 1, 2005

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Obesity; Prevention; School-based
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Overnutrition; Nutrition Disorders; Overweight; Body Weight; Obesity
• Other Study ID Numbers: CDC-OPHR-321534