Healthy Corner Store Initiative (HCSI)

June 28, 2013 updated by: Temple University
The proposed research will evaluate the efficacy of an intervention in urban corner stores. Community-based, environmental manipulation of corner stores is an understudied area and represents the next step in understanding and improving the nutritional intake of school students to prevent obesity.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

The HCSI is a community-based, multi-faceted, and broad-based intervention administered by The Food Trust. The HCSI is designed to permeate multiple aspects (i.e., social, educational, food availability) of the corner store environment. Moreover, it takes into account the unique aspects of each corner store.

Theoretical Framework. The HCSI is grounded in social cognitive theory (SCT). By incorporating the environment, personal factors (including cognitions) and behavior, SCT provides a framework for designing, implementing, and evaluating behavioral change. It supports traditional behavioral methods (positive reinforcement, specific behavioral outcomes). Moreover, it underscores the critical role of the social environment (modeling, social reinforcement, social norms - as well as reducing the antecedents for purchasing unhealthy foods) in affecting change. Our initial work has assessed the feasibility of implementing the HCSI and collecting data (see preliminary studies). We are poised to test the efficacy of the HCSI in the proposed study.

Behavioral Goals. The HCSI intervention seeks to: 1) decrease the purchase of high calorie snacks and beverages and to 2) increase the percentage of healthy snacks and beverages at the store level. Decreasing the purchase of high-calorie foods in the corner stores and/or decreasing sugar-sweetened soft drinks (assuming no change in physical activity) will shift energy balance to favor the prevention of overweight and obesity. These dietary goals are also consistent with the Institute of Medicine report on childhood obesity (Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance, 2004). While we will measure BMI in the proposed study, our primary outcome of this initial randomized trial of efficacy is energy intake assessed at the time of purchase.

Although the implementation of the intervention will vary depending on the characteristics of the corner store, the major components of the program are summarized below:

Key informant interviews with corner store owners and teachers at local schools and after-school programs to determine how best to work with these key groups Social marketing campaign to reinforce messages about healthy snacking, Grouping healthy snacks and/or displaying signage for easy identification of healthier items, Integrating healthy snacking information into school and after-school programs to teach youngsters what comprises a healthy snack Involving family members and the community in promoting healthy snacking Working with snack and beverage manufacturers and distributors to increase the number of healthy snacks available in corner stores.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Anticipated)

2000

Phase

  • Not Applicable

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

    • Pennsylvania
      • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19140
        • Temple University - Center for Obesity Research and Education

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

5 years to 15 years (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 4th, 5th and 6th grade students
  • Schools who meet eligibility for 50% of students eligible to receive free or reduced lunches at their school
  • Corner stores surrounding these schools within a 4 block radius in either direction

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
Intervention / Treatment
Placebo Comparator: Control
control group in study
Active Comparator: HCS
Intervention group
modification of snacks and beverages offered in corner store surrounding 10 schools
Other Names:
  • HCSI

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
To compare the intervention and control on changes, over a 2 year period, in the energy content of snacks purchased before and after school at corner stores.
Time Frame: post
post

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
To compare the intervention and control groups on the percentage of available healthy snacks, the percentage of dedicated space for shelving healthy snacks, and the allocation of dedicated space where healthy items will be grouped for display.
Time Frame: post
post
To understand the correlates and determinants of corner store shopping behavior.
Time Frame: post
post

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Gary D Foster, PhD, Temple University- Center for Obesity Research and Education

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

September 1, 2007

Primary Completion (Actual)

June 1, 2010

Study Completion (Actual)

June 1, 2010

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 3, 2008

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 14, 2008

First Posted (Estimate)

January 15, 2008

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

July 1, 2013

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 28, 2013

Last Verified

January 1, 2008

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • NEP - 10520
  • 10520 (Registry Identifier: DAIDS ES Registry ID)

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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