Ready. Set. ACTION! A Theater-Based Obesity Prevention Program for Children (RSA)

A Theater-Based Obesity Prevention Program for Children

The goal of Ready, Set, ACTION! (RSA) is to test the feasibility of implementing a theater-based after-school program to promote healthy eating, physical activity, and positive body image with children in grades four through six.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Obesity
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Ready. Set. ACTION! Protocol; Other: Control

Detailed Description

The goal of Ready, Set, ACTION! (RSA) is to test the feasibility of implementing a theater-based after-school program to promote healthy eating, physical activity, and positive body image with children in grades four through six. This study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIDDK), is a collaboration between the University of Minnesota, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, Saint Paul Public Schools, and Illusion Theater of Minneapolis. Four participating Saint Paul schools were randomly assigned to receive either a control or intervention after school program led by artists/educators from Illusion Theater. Students in the intervention schools received a fourteen-session curriculum with eight booster sessions, in which they received the following messages: increase fruit, vegetable, and water consumption, decrease soda pop, increase physical activity, and decrease television. Families received nutrition and activity information packets themed for each session. The messages were reinforced by theater education, dance, and music. A play structured around the aforementioned messages that included scene vignettes, choreographed dance, and professionally composed music was developed and rehearsed by the children. In December 2006 the children performed the play for their families at Illusion Theater in downtown Minneapolis. They later performed for their peers at school and again for family and school administrators at the conclusion of the program.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 181
• Phase: Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 8 years to 12 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 4th-6th grade children at intervention and control schools
• Parent or guardian of participating children

Exclusion Criteria:

• Other ages

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: 1	Other: Ready. Set. ACTION! Protocol; The intervention included three components: theater sessions; booster sessions; and family outreach. After-school theater sessions were conducted in the fall in the intervention schools. Sessions included: a "check-in" about changes made over the past week; healthy snacks; a movement component that involved fun and easy activities; and creating/education. Children at intervention schools participated in weekly after-school booster sessions in the winter to further address the behavioral messages addressed during the intervention. Throughout the program, weekly Fun & Fitness packs were sent home to families that included a healthy food with a simple recipe using that food or fitness incentives for the family. There were also two family events: a theater performance, and a reception.
Sham Comparator: 2	Other: Control; The control condition also participated in a theater-based intervention that addressed a health topic unrelated to weight, hand-washing and overall personal hygiene.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Program feasibility	One school year

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Body Mass Index (BMI)	One school-year
Physical activity	One school-year
Quality of dietary intake	One school-year
Self-efficacy to change eating and physical activity behaviors, improved body image, and improved self-esteem	One school-year
Parental support for healthy eating and physical activity	One school-year

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Minnesota
• Collaborators: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, PhD, MPH, RD, Division of Epidemiology & Community Health, University of Minnesota

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: September 1, 2006
• Study Completion (Actual): May 1, 2007

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 5, 2007
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 17, 2008
• First Posted (Estimate): January 30, 2008

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 1, 2019
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 30, 2019
• Last Verified: October 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Overnutrition; Nutrition Disorders; Overweight; Body Weight; Obesity
• Other Study ID Numbers: 0504S69518; R21DK072972 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)